Maidenhead & Windsor

Pupils, staff and governors at Waltham St Lawrence Primary have been given an early Christmas present by Ofsted inspectors who have praised the school in a glowing report.

The report - published this week - follows a two-day inspection earlier this month when inspectors visited the 100-pupil school to observe teaching methods and speak to staff, children, governors and parents about their perception of the school.

The report’s opening paragraph sums up the inspectors’ findings. “Waltham St Lawrence is a good school. Pupils enjoy school very much which is not surprising because the staff provide an outstanding curriculum”. It goes on to praise the ‘energetic and innovative staff’, ‘effective and creditable governors’ and the ‘enthusiastic pupils’.

The school was assessed according to eight categories, including overall effectiveness, achievement and standards, curriculum and other activities, teaching and learning and leadership. In each case it is rated either ‘outstanding’ - grade 1, or ‘good’ - grade two.

Other key points in the report include:
· the quality of teaching is consistently good and particularly effective in maths
· pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent
· personal, social and health education is promoted extremely well
· the headteacher, assistant headteacher and governors work as an effective team
· pupils behave extremely well and there is an effective balance of welfare and care
· children work and play safely
· there are strong links with parents and the local community

The inspectors recommend two areas for improvement - that more focus is placed on improving pupils’ writing skills, and that teachers improve the systems in place to assess pupils’ performance.

Judi Jeffries, headteacher, said: “This report is a great reward for everyone at - and associated with - our school. I cannot praise the staff and pupils enough for their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm in making Waltham St Lawrence Primary School the happy and high-achieving school it is today. I also want to thank the governors and parents for supporting us so well.”

Richard James, chair of governors, said he was delighted with the report. He said: ”I was particularly pleased that the inspection graded the school as outstanding in personal development and well-being. The warm and courteous atmosphere of the school generates almost universal comment from first-time visitors. The inspectors offered helpful advice which we anticipate will help our professional staff and all who support them make this wonderful school even better. Meanwhile, they all have reason to be very proud of this early Christmas present!”

Cllr Eileen Quick, lead member for children’s services, said: “Congratulations to all the dedicated staff and pupils for this first class achievement. The high quality of education that pupils receive at Waltham St Lawrence is second to none and helps to give these young people a good start in life.”

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead