Proud staff and pupils at a Grimsby school are celebrating after Ofsted inspectors gave it an Oustanding rating. Principal Becky Wright declared Woodlands Academy is "powered by love", telling how she is brimming with pride in playing her part to take the school from an inadequate rating in 2018 to outstanding during inspectors' July visit.
The glowing report, which follows a previous inspection we reported on of Requires Improvement, gives the Pinewood Crescent primary school an overall Outstanding rating, with a grading of Good in the area of quality of education and Outstanding for its behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision.
Now part of Harbour Learning Trust, the primary school has 313 pupils aged 3 to 11, and the full report tells how pupils are empowered to speak up about things that matter to them, are encouraged to play their role in the community and that they are well-prepared for life in their next school.
The report says: "Woodlands Academy is a school where pupils thrive. Pupils are highly respectful of others, including those different to themselves. Pupils strive to embody the school's values, such as 'delight and joy'. They are happy and safe here. They enjoy coming to school to learn. Attendance is high.
"Pupils learn how to understand and manage their emotions well. They are exceptionally well behaved throughout the day. Pupils pay close attention and engage well with their learning. They are polite, considerate and courteous.
"The school has developed a curriculum that is ambitious and engaging. Staff at the school have very high expectations for all pupils. Over time, pupils achieve well.
"Pupils are encouraged to pay back into the community, such as supporting the food bank at the local church. Pupils are proud of their school. The provision for the broader development of pupils is a strength of the school. This includes the opportunity to engage with local employers and learn about careers. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their education."
The report goes on to praise Woodlands Academy's Staff for their skills in identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and supporting them to learn alongside their peers.
It also highlights a "very rich" extra-curricular offer, with after school activities, such as crafts, sports and extra-curricular visits. The report includes just one comment on an area it could do better, saying "the use of assessment is not as strong in some subjects as it is in others. Where this is the case, mistakes and misconceptions are not identified and addressed well enough, and pupils' knowledge is less secure. The school should work with staff to enhance the use of assessment so that misconceptions are addressed and pupils' learning is deepened."
The school has celebrated its status on social media, highlighting some of their favourite comments made by inspectors over the two days they visited in July, including "People will want to come to Woodlands by the bus load" and "I have visited over 150 settings, and this is by far the best!".
Proud principal Becky Wright, who has been at the school for three years, said: "This school is powered by love. To our amazing pupils - you are the reason we all turn up to school smiling every day. To our phenomenal staff - without your care and goodwill, this school would crumble.
"And to our wonderful parents, carers, families and community - we love working alongside you every day, and cannot thank you enough for your support. We're so excited, it's been a long journey and a lot of hard work but absolutely worth it for our children and our community. We're delighted.
"I'm immensely proud. I'm proud of the school, the pupils, the staff, the community. Woodlands is truly a team effort and to be the principal of such an amazing team is something I always hoped to achieve in my career but never quite thought would happen.
"The response from parents has been fantastic. They've been really supportive, not just at our school but schools across the community - everyone has been proud of our area.
"I've been with Harbour Learning Trust for eight years, and at Woodlands for three years. This is my third Ofsted. In my second we went from inadequate to good in four areas, and a couple of years later we've gone to outstanding in four areas, so we couldn't be more delighted.
She added: "We say we're a school powered by love. We're driven by love, nurture and care. Everybody here goes out of their way to make sure every stakeholder is nurtured, made to feel they belong and that they are included in our community - and that's what empowers people to thrive. We genuinely are a school powered by love."