School's 'big day' as it is rated good for first time in 15 years
Piper's Vale Primary Academy's principle Kimberly Morton and students are celebrating after receiving a good Ofsted report for the first time in 15 years. - Credit: Simon Hazelgrove
An Ipswich school has been praised for its "sense of ambition" after being rated good by inspectors for the first time in 15 years.
Piper's Vale Primary Academy joined the Paradigm Trust in September 2017 after being rated requires improvement ratings for three years between 2013 and 2016.
Previously Piper's Vale Primary School, it was last rated good in 2007.
Now following a return by Ofsted inspectors, the school has been rated good in all areas, and praised for creating 'a sense of ambition and belonging' where 'pupils behave well.'
Kimberly Morton, the school's principal said: "It is a big day. Our postcode is IP3, we are one of the more deprived postcode areas, definitely in Ipswich.
"It is a great day for our community that our school is good and we have had that validation so onwards and upwards."
Principal for Paradigm Trust's Piper's Vale Primary School, Kimberly Morton - Credit: SPRING/PARADIGM TRUST
Ms Morton, who has been with the school since 2018, said: "It’s been a lot of hard work, I have a great team of teachers, a great leadership team and fantastic support from Paradigm Trust.
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"It has just been about making those changes which weren’t always easy, they weren’t always particularly popular with existing staff members and parents.
"Making those changes though, with the absolute belief that this school has the capacity to be a good school has led to it now being a good school.
"All it needed was the systems in place, and we needed to make sure that they were rigorously adhered to and that’s what my team and I have done and it has paid off because we are now good in all areas."
Ms Morton has praised the support from the community, and claims that the postcode shouldn't be an excuse for the school not to be good and for its students to achieve.
"15 years ago, this school was good and that is not okay, so we came here with a job to do to turn this school around and we have.
"Our mission statement is about changing lives through education and everyone who works here believes that and doesn’t accept any excuses.
"Our next Ofsted, let's hope it's outstanding."
