Primary School supporting pupils to be ‘ambitious, confident citizens’

Staff and pupils at St Luke’s CE Primary School, part of the Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET), are celebrating this month after a new Ofsted report praised the school for supporting pupils to be ‘ambitious, confident citizens’, following a recent school inspection. 

The school’s inspectorate visited St Luke’s at the start of March for a two-day assessment of all areas of life at the school. This included subject deep dives, observing pupils’ behaviour and interactions and speaking with leaders from the school and Trust, and with parents and pupils. 

The school was judged to be ‘Good’ across all inspection categories. The school’s pastoral care was highlighted as a particular strength, as epitomised by the inspectors’ description of St Luke’s as a ‘caring, nurturing and happy school’ that ‘welcomes everyone’. 

Sonia Clews, Headteacher, said: “We are delighted to see Ofsted inspectors recognise how hard everyone at the school works to make every child feel welcome and included in all we do. Supporting our pupils in becoming emotionally literate, resilient and confident individuals is a vital part of preparing them for the future. The fantastic comments about the children’s behaviour and achievements in the report make us all exceptionally proud.”

St Lukes’s was also commended for its ‘high expectations of pupils help them to achieve well’ and its ‘broad, ambitious and engaging’ curriculum. 

Reading was described as a priority for the school, supported by a well organised reading curriculum and effective phonics approach. SEND learners were shown to be identified swiftly and provided with adapted learning and enrichment provisions to ensure every child benefits from all the school offers. 

Other highlights of the report included:

• Pupils develop their confidence and leadership skills by taking on roles such as peer mentors and school councillors. They make worthwhile contributions to the local community, including during visits to the nearby retirement village. 
• The school places a sharp focus on developing pupils’ speech and language. This is evident in the early years, where children get off to a strong start. Children are confident, happy learners. 
• Pupils respond well to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. Staff model these expectations consistently. Pupils behave well in the classroom and outside. They understand the importance of kindness and trying their best. 
• The school provides pupils with a range of experiences that they may not otherwise encounter. For example, they have opportunities to visit London, take part in curling competitions and learn how to play a musical instrument. 
• The school aims for pupils to be ambitious, confident citizens. Pupils learn about a range of careers and sample what life is like at university. They are prepared well for their next stages of learning. 
• Trustees and governors are extremely ambitious for the school. They are proud of all the school has to offer. Trustees have appropriate processes in place to check the effectiveness of the school. Staff are proud to work at the school. 

The report also praised the way the school supports not only pupils but their families too, through a range of workshops for parents and carers so they can support their children at home. 

Ruth Walker-Green, CEO at PDET, said ‘St Luke’s is an incredible school that demonstrates how prioritising the wellbeing of children positively impacts their social, emotional and academic capabilities. Everyone here does their utmost to ensure every child doesn’t just achieve but thrives, and we are proud to have them as part of our PDET family.’

Peter Cantley, Director of Education for the Diocese, congratulated the school saying ‘I was delighted that so many of the school’s strengths were recognised and celebrated in this very positive report. In particular, I was pleased to read that the inspector recognised that St Luke’s “is a caring, nurturing and happy school” where “staff know pupils and their needs extremely well” and that pupils “are proud to attend this school” and “strive to earn ‘golden tokens’”. Similarly, it was most encouraging to read that the school’s high expectations are well understood and consistently modelled by staff, resulting in the “polite, kind and friendly” conduct of pupils across the school.’