Ranelagh Primary School in Ipswich rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

Strong leadership, major improvements to teaching and creating a “happy and caring” environment are key reasons why an Ipswich primary school has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

Ranelagh Primary School is celebrating this week after receiving the judgement from the education watchdog following an inspection last month. It had been rated ‘requires improvement’ since October 2014.

The majority of youngsters at the 262-pupil school “relish the additional challenges to stretch their understanding in mathematics”, lead inspector Susan Aykin wrote in her report.

Pupils make “good” progress in English and are “increasingly well prepared for the demands of the writing skills needed when they move on to secondary school”.

The report also revealed there is a “tangible excitement” in the classroom for all lessons.

Headteacher Diane Ekins thanked Suffolk County Council for their support and said she was “glad that Ofsted highlighted that senior leaders were working on the right points of development for the school”.

The school, based in Pauls Road, received a ‘good’ rating for all five categories, as well as the overall rating.

Mrs Aykin added: “Pupils make swift progress and frequently respond to challenging topics with enthusiasm and precision. For example, the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are challenged well to use language in a sophisticated way. Consequently, they write maturely and creatively.

“Pupils who speak English as an additional language make accelerated progress in learning English through personalised teaching. Pupils move quickly into mainstream classes and are able to access the curriculum alongside their peers successfully.”

Sue Thomas, chair of governors at the school, described the report as “a joy to read”.

She said: “Miss Ekins has led the school so well, with real determination and I’d like to pay particular tribute to her along with our assistant headteacher; and to all teaching and support staff for their commitment to being ‘good’ again over the last two years.

“Governors also want to thank the children for their hard work and for being such good ambassadors for Ranelagh Primary. Our whole team, including governors, really do make Ranelagh a good school in every way.”

To become an ‘outstanding’ school, Ofsted said it must further improve the quality of teaching, such as developing a “consistently systematic approach”, and improve the quality of leadership, such as improving the science curriculum.

Meanwhile, Key Stage Two pupils have this week been learning about the Ancient Egyptians, including an Egyptian mummification workshop, following a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.