Leavening Community Primary and Nursery School has been judged as 'good' in all areas by Ofsted following a two-day inspection.

The school, which was previously judged 'requires improvement' pre COVID pandemic in 2019, has made significant progress since the last inspection with a new staff team, a highly ambitious curriculum and strong leadership.

Ofsted inspectors, who visited the school in November, praised the school’s ‘ambitious and engaging curriculum’ including the support for pupils with SEND to fully access the curriculum and achieve the same outcomes as their peers and states that the children enjoy learning.

The early years curriculum was also described as good, with inspectors noting “Children in the early years benefit from a curriculum that prepares them for future learning. Adults encourage pupils to talk and extend their vocabulary.”

“Reading is a priority at Leavening Primary School. The school has invested in improving the quality of phonics teaching. This is having a positive impact. Pupils learn to read fluently and to develop their understanding. Staff identify and support pupils that need extra help quickly.”

During their visit, inspectors met with head teacher, subject leaders, staff, pupils and Governors. They also carried out ‘deep dives’ across a range of subjects and evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding.

The report added: “The school prepares pupils well for life in the wider world. Older pupils speak thoughtfully about equality and diversity. Pupils learn about tolerance and most show respect for adults and other pupils. The school cultivates a positive, family environment.”

“Pupils say they enjoy school. Staff work hard to ensure that learning is enjoyable. They know the pupils well and adapt learning to meet individual needs. Many pupils talk about how kind everyone is at Leavening Primary. They say everyone is included. Many parents echo this view. They comment on how well their children ‘thrive’ and ‘flourish’ at this nurturing school."

Leavening Community Primary is a small rural school with 46 students from Early Years to Year 6. The school has been educating children from Leavening and surrounding areas, as far as Malton and Norton, since 1906 and was extended in 1964, 2003 and 2007. The school takes in children of all abilities from 3 to 11 years of age and from April this year, will be extending its provision to include two-year olds in its nursery.

Head teacher, Sian Mitchell, said: “I am thrilled that Ofsted has recognised the strengths of our school. This report shows the hard work and dedication that the whole school community has invested to make Leavening Community Primary a unique place to learn and work.

"We are especially pleased that our work on the personal development of pupils has been recognised as a strength - it is a vital part of our ethos to ensure that children are prepared for life in modern Britain and have opportunities to learn about and explore first hand, diversity, due to our isolated location. We are proud of how we achieve this and the opportunities we provide our pupils.”