Throston Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key Findings

This is a good school.

It is not outstanding because teaching is not yet consistently good or better. Pupils, parents, carers and staff are overwhelmingly positive about all the school has to offer. They value the way that, by leaders responding to pupils' changing needs, it is constantly improving.

Children receive a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage because the staff know the children exceptionally well and provide interesting and challenging activities for them to do. All groups of pupils make good progress in Key Stages 1 and 2. Pupils' attitudes to work are excellent.

Pupils achieve well and overall attainment is above average and improving quickly... in writing and mathematics. The strength in the good teaching lies in the excellent relationships between the teaching staff and pupils. Teachers effectively praise and support pupils in lessons, but the marking of pupils' work is not consistent.

Teachers provide many opportunities for pupils to use their basic skills across the curriculum but the application is through highly-structured tasks and not in a practical, investigative and creative way. Pupils' behaviour is consistently good and often outstanding. All staff are vigilant about pupils' safety and pupils say they feel very safe in school.

The headteacher motivates staff and pupils to give of their best. The drive, ambition and passion of the governing body and staff to make this school the best are evident in everything that they do. The leadership of teaching and the management of performance are good and highly focused on individual staff needs.

However, leaders' evaluations of the school's work are not yet sufficiently precise to be of optimum use in identifying the progress of different groups of pupils.

Information about the school

This is a larger than average size primary school. Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.

A few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs, is below average.

The school meets the current floor standard. The school runs a breakfast and after-school club. The school holds numerous awards including Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark, Activemark, Artsmark, National Healthy School status, Eco-school Green Flag Award, International School Award and Investors in People.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms