St Oswald’s Church of England Primary Academy, part of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, is celebrating a highly positive Ofsted inspection outcome which recognises the academy’s inclusive ethos, ambitious curriculum and unwavering commitment to helping every child succeed.
Inspectors praised the school as a place where pupils belong to a “caring, richly diverse and vibrant learning community“, highlighting the strong relationships, high expectations and nurturing environment that help children thrive.
The academy met the Expected Standard in every area of the new inspection framework, including Achievement, Attendance and Behaviour, Curriculum and Teaching, Inclusion, Personal Development and Wellbeing, Leadership and Governance, Early Years and Safeguarding.
The report recognises that pupils achieve well from their individual starting points, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, pupils who speak English as an additional language and those facing other barriers to learning. The report states “Leaders create a highly inclusive culture where everyone is welcome”.
Inspectors found that leaders have created a curriculum that reflects and celebrates the local community while ensuring pupils build knowledge and skills throughout their time at the school. The report notes that the curriculum is “logically sequenced from the early years through to Year 6” and that pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for learning, engage well in lessons and take pride in their work.
The report also celebrates the academy’s exceptional commitment to inclusion, recognising how leaders quickly identify pupils’ needs and provide tailored support to ensure every child can flourish. Inspectors highlighted the school’s highly inclusive culture, where everyone is made to feel welcome and where pupils with additional needs are fully included in all aspects of school life.
Reading was identified as a particular strength. Ofsted noted that pupils develop a love of reading through carefully chosen books and that the library sits at the heart of school life, helping children become confident and enthusiastic readers. Within the report there is a recognition of ‘…pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for learning, engaging well in lessons and taking pride in their work…’ and that ‘…pupils develop a love of reading…’ The report also elaborates on calm learning environments with deliberate classroom design choices ‘…pupils concentrate on their learning in calm and orderly classrooms…’
Safeguarding was also deemed ‘expected’ with inspectors praising leaders having ‘…an established open culture in which safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility…’
Gillian Wilson, Headteacher at St Oswald’s C of E Primary Academy, said:
“We are delighted to share this outcome with our wider school community. Everybody has worked incredibly hard. Under the revised framework, the standards were high and the inspection was a thorough process. This is a great outcome for our whole school community. We have high expectations for all of our pupils and passionately believe that every child deserves the best. We are incredibly proud of our school and are thrilled that the report recognises and celebrates our strengths, success and high ambitions for all our pupils.”
Carol Dewhurst OBE, Chief Executive Officer, added:
“This report is a wonderful recognition of the dedication of the entire St Oswald’s community. Inspectors saw a school where inclusion is lived every day, where pupils are supported to flourish regardless of their starting point, and where high expectations sit alongside genuine care and compassion. We are proud to see the academy’s ambition for every child recognised so clearly and congratulate everyone involved on this well-deserved outcome”.