St Edmundsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, in Bury St Edmunds, plans to build on improvements as Ofsted recognises ‘significant change’

A Bury St Edmunds school plans to build on its ‘rapid improvement’ following an Ofsted inspection which found leaders had ‘brought about significant change after a period of turbulence’.

St Edmundsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, in Grove Road, was found to have made improvements by the education watchdog, having been judged inadequate last July.

It is now deemed as requires improvement and safeguarding is effective, with arrangements to ensure pupils are safe from harm now robust.

A new head of school has been appointed and it will be joining an academy trust in September.

But Ofsted found the quality of education is not yet good as ‘too many pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding’.

Kim Bramley, the new head of school, said: “The school is immensely proud of its staff, pupils and governors for all the hard work which has gone into making a massive turnaround in such a short space of time.

“The school are also hugely appreciative of the continued support from our families, who gave such positive feedback during the inspection.”

Following the inspection on March 27 and 28, Ofsted said pupils were polite and welcoming, younger children flourish and staff have a good understanding of the needs of individual pupils and how to support them best.

The watchdog said leaders have brought about significant change with energy and precision after a period of turbulence and governors provide appropriate challenge to ensure the school continues to improve.

“However, the school acknowledges there is more work to do to ensure pupils receive a good quality of education,” it said.

“They have clear plans in place to achieve this. Leaders ensure staff are supported in their work, reducing their workload where this is possible.”

Miss Bramley said they were proud of their early years provision which retained its good rating as well as a good rating for personal development.

She said St Edmundsbury plans to build on its rapid improvement and a secure senior leadership team is in place.

The school will be joining the Elveden Academy Trust in September to benefit from new links and experience.

A new play scheme for lunchtimes, called OPAL, is being put into place to address behaviour issues and a new curriculum approach began at Easter across all subjects.

“We feel that this is an exciting time for the school and cannot wait to see where we go next,” Miss Bramley added.

The school is holding an open morning on Wednesday, June 15 and an open afternoon on Wednesday, June 26 for visitors and potential pupils. Contact the school for further information.