Headteacher of Bucklesham Primary School, near Ipswich, celebrates good Ofsted report

The headteacher of a primary school near Ipswich has said a recent glowing Ofsted report was the result of the hard work and dedication of its staff.

Bucklesham Primary School was handed a good rating by the education watchdog after inspectors visited in July.

Rachael Rudge, headteacher at Bucklesham since April 2022, said Ofsted praising the school’s big vision for children’s lives ‘really summed up’ its attitude to education.

She felt staff went above and beyond to ensure pupils had the best possible start to life, particularly when it came to wellbeing.

Miss Rudge said: “We’re really pleased with the report as it reflects what our school offers.

“The result came from the whole collective working hard together alongside the governors. I’m thrilled at what we’ve done over the past few years.”

Miss Rudge felt one of the school’s key strengths was its emphasis on wellbeing.

A lot of resources are put into teaching children about mental health, relationships, privacy and health.

There are also wellbeing ambassadors at the school.

“It’s an important subject to talk about,” she said. “Children need to feel secure and happy.”

Other aspects of the school’s ‘ambitious’ curriculum highlighted by Ofsted included how Bucklesham teaches children to read well from reception.

There were also a wealth of school trips, including to London and the Houses of Parliament, and subjects, broken down into chunks, were digestible, lead inspector Adam Cooke said.

Parents were also enthusiastic in their support for their children’s learning. Miss Rudge said a recent parent survey found 100 per cent of pupils were happy at school.

Miss Rudge was also proud that the school’s dedication to students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) was also praised by inspectors.

However, Mr Cooke said that, in some areas of the curriculum, teachers did not systematically check errors, misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ learning, which could lead to them making the same mistakes.

Looking to the future, Miss Rudge hoped to continue the team’s hard work.

She hoped planned removals of one-word judgements by Ofsted could alleviate some of the stress while also allowing schools to focus on strengths and weaknesses.

Miss Rudge added: “Our school is all about setting the children up for future life, making sure they have the skills they need for high school and beyond and equipping them with the social and academic skills they need to do well through life.

“That's what we're about – giving them the best start we possibly can.”