Ofsted inspector’s praise for Sutton Primary School which has maintained high standards

The standard of teaching at Sutton Primary School has improved and pupil progress is ‘consistently good’ – according to Government inspectors.

Ofsted said that, since its last inspection in 2011, high standards had been maintained, and in some areas improved, by head teacher Gill Gilbert and her team.

Steven Hill, lead inspector, said: “Pupils’ achievement has improved during the current year. Some previous inconsistencies in the progress of boys and girls, and some weaknesses in writing at Key Stage 2, have been eliminated.

“Boys and girls, whatever their backgrounds and abilities, all make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.”

Mr Hill also singled out teaching staff for praise, saying that they were “particularly successful in generating pupils’ interest through activities that often grab their imagination.”

He added: “Teachers give clear explanations to pupils so that they understand what to do and no time is wasted as they settle to work. Explanations are often enhanced by the use of the interactive whiteboard to clarify ideas.”

In order to make the step from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’, however, Mr Hill said that improvements were needed in some areas of teacher’s marking.

He also said that there were examples where pupils difficulties were not being picked up quickly enough.