Southwold Primary School, in Cumberland Road, celebrates turnaround from requires improvement to good rating following latest Ofsted inspection

An education watchdog said pupils at a seaside primary school are being well-prepared for the future after its turnaround from requires improvement to good in its latest inspection.

Southwold Primary School, in Cumberland Road, was visited by Ofsted on October 1 and 2, securing an overall good rating in all key areas, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership.

The school was rated requires improvement following an inspection in February 2022.

Headteacher Katy Last, who took on her new role in January 2023, said she was absolutely delighted with the outcome, but highlighted it has been a journey started by the previous head and the hard work of staff members.

She said: “This brings an extended period of being judged as ‘requires improvement’ to an end.

“The school is strongly supported by the parents and wider community and all are elated with this outcome.”

The report praised the school for creating an ‘ambitious’ curriculum, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), offering numerous opportunities to expand pupils’ knowledge and understanding beyond the classroom.

This includes fieldwork, participation in sustainability projects and arts festivals.

Pupils are able to join clubs that help develop their talents, such as sports, cooking, art and beach clubs, and apply for a range of leadership roles, including reading and learning ambassadors

Inspectors Rowena Simmons and Heather Hann said: “These opportunities enable pupils to develop their social skills and use what they have learned in a range of contexts.

“They collaborate in project work with local charities and wildlife trusts and regularly sing at an old people’s home.

“Pupils are being well prepared for their future lives.”

The curriculum was also matched by the priority given to reading, with significant improvements made to teaching in early years.

The report said children develop good reading habits and teachers ‘skilfully’ check pupils’ phonics skills.

As a result, teachers can quickly identify children who may struggle with reading and offer appropriate support to help them become more confident and fluent readers.

Inspectors also highlighted how pupils celebrate diversity through access to a wide range of texts.

The report said: “Staff enjoy working at this school and leaders are considerate of their workload and wellbeing.

“The curriculum content is well considered to meet the needs of the mixed-age class profile of the school.

“Teachers are well trained and effectively use a range of methods to support pupils to learn across all curriculum areas.”

Safeguarding arrangements are regarded as effective.

However, the inspectors noted the school needs to provide more opportunities to extended pupils’ learning in subjects such as maths.

The report added there are occasions when children do not develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills. As a result, pupils do not apply what they know in more complex areas of maths.

Teachers must also continue to prioritise pupils’ writing skills, particularly their knowledge of punctuation and grammar, as this impacts the quality of children’s writing across all subjects.