School inspected six years after special measures ruling

A primary school has been rated ‘good’ by inspectors.

Honeywell Primary School in Tudor Way has been celebrating a ‘good’ rating from school watchdog Ofsted following an inspection – six years on from the former Dines Green Primary School being placed in special measures.

Dines Green Primary School was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in 2017 but despite making some improvements, the school closed a year later and became an academy.

The school was then renamed Honeywell Primary School in September last year.

Inspectors said Honeywell Primary School was “welcoming” and pupils felt “happy and safe.”

“Adults know children very well and care about them,” the report by Ofsted said. “Staff provide strong pastoral support that builds pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. This helps pupils to engage in all aspects of school life.”

Inspectors also praised the school’s “polite and respectful” pupils.

“They learn that they need to treat others as they would like to be treated themselves,” Ofsted said.

“This learning starts in the early years, where children listen to instructions, understand routines and follow rules. Pupils develop positive attitudes to each other and adults.

“They behave well in lessons and at other times.”

Ofsted said the school was challenging poor attendance and “making a difference” but highlighted that some pupils were still not attending school regularly enough.

Inspectors also said the school needed to improve its end-of-term assessments in some subjects and needed to start looking at patterns in behaviour to help with planning.

Inspectors said teachers at Honeywell encouraged all pupils to ‘explore, aspire and achieve’ and they make good progress through the curriculum.

“Leaders think carefully about ways to broaden pupils’ experiences and raise their aspirations…,” Ofsted said. “Pupils enjoy attending a broad range of clubs, trips and residential visits that pique their interests and promote their talents.”

Headteacher Andrew Morley said he was delighted to be recognised as a ‘good’ school.

“It has been a long journey for this wonderful school and its amazing community, and this judgment is the result of so much hard work, commitment, and care by everyone involved,” he said.

“The children at Honeywell are at the heart of everything that we do, and it is brilliant to see that recognised in this report.

“We can’t wait to keep building on the progress that has already been made and take the school onto the next stage of its journey.

“It is a privilege to work with such a superb team and outstanding wider community.”