Croydon primary school receives ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating four years after having to close

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

A Croydon primary school has been told most of its provision is ‘Outstanding’ in its first Ofsted inspection since being taken over by an academy trust.

West Thornton Primary School, in Rosecourt Road, previously closed following an Inadequate overall rating by the education watchdog in February 2020.

While Ofsted has stopped giving an overall grade to state schools as of September 2024, it still uses the same ratings in a number of areas it assesses, and West Thornton has received top marks, being graded ‘Outstanding’ in four out of five key assessment areas with the other determined as ‘Good’.

The Ofsted report, published on November 4, commended the school for its achievements in Behaviour and Attitudes; Personal Development; Leadership and Management; and Early Years Provision. Inspectors were particularly impressed by the effectiveness of teaching and learning, and the strength of leadership within the school, which is now part of the Inspire Partnership Academy Trust (IPAT).

Inspectors said ‘children get off to a great start in Reception’, and praised the school’s emphasis on encouraging debate among the school’s almost 1,000 students. 

The report noted: “Staff are overwhelmingly positive about leaders’ consideration of their workload. This includes time for planning and preparation. They feel listened to, and valued, and are extremely proud of the school’s progress since it joined the IPAT.”

The school had introduced an ambitious curriculum across all subjects, with notable success in most areas, the report said. But, inspectors felt that in a few subjects, these changes were yet to be refined.

As a result, they said, pupils had not always achieved the same depth of understanding in these areas as they have in more established subjects. The school was told to continue working on its curriculum to ensure consistent, high-quality learning across the board.

Despite this, the school was deemed to have undergone a remarkable transformation. Following the damning report, which said that ‘pupils do not learn enough at the school’, West Thornton closed briefly before reopening as part of the IPAT stable in April 2020.

The academy has a roster of nine primary schools across the UK, including founding member Forest Academy in nearby Shirley. Rob Carpenter, chief executive of IPAT, said: “We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff, pupils, and parents at West Thornton Primary School.”

Pictured top: Ofsted praised West Thornton Primary School’s curriculum in the recent inspection (Picture: West Thornton Primary School)