East Allington Primary School has been named as “Good” after its Ofsted inspection in April, just one behind the highest grading of “Outstanding”.

The Inspector praised new headteacher Tom Pether’s vision for “active, bold, and caring pupils”, which he said has been “embraced and realised by all”.

The Inspector wrote that his time at the school confirmed that staff and pupils “feel happy, well supported and valued.” He said pupils displayed “clear fascination and enjoyment in their learning”, and was very impressed by the way in which they listened attentively to the views of others and by how they were “polite, well-mannered and spoke to me about their work with confidence and self-assurance.”

East Allington has a nursery, and also runs a breakfast and after school club so that working parents have flexibility with the time their children are at the school. The Inspector said: “Nursery staff have set up the physical environment successfully to maximise opportunities for purposeful and productive play”.

He continued: “In the 2016 tests, pupils did not achieve as well as expected in mathematics. Overall attainment was below the national average. A detailed review undertaken by leaders identified weaknesses in the quality of teaching. It also identified some misconceptions in pupils’ subject knowledge and understanding.

“Consequently, a range of well-targeted actions have been implemented across the school to ensure pupils make the progress of which they are capable. As a result of this, pupils’ books show that they are now making better progress. Our visits to classrooms showed how pupils are quickly acquiring

new mathematical knowledge and understanding.”

He also said: “Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school’s work in keeping pupils safe. All parents who responded to the parent survey agreed that their child feels safe in school and is well looked after. A typical comment written by a parent was, ‘Teachers and support staff always show care and attention to the pupils’.”

He said that pupils “speak enthusiastically about the learning they have undertaken and the aspects that they have found most enjoyable.” The Forest School came in for particular praise, taking advantage of the school’s grounds to enhance the curriculum.

Head, Tom Pether, said “We are delighted East Allington has maintained its Ofsted judgement of Good. We have a brilliant staff team who work very carefully with parents and pupils to crystallise our vision for being ‘active, bold and caring’ and the living of that vision is a major reason why standards at the school are so high.”

Executive Head of Education South West, Roger Pope, said: “Many congratulations to all the staff, parents and students at East Allington school. I am delighted the Inspector singled out the importance of the support that the Trust gives to the school.

“I always enjoy my visits to East Allington because the children are so motivated, hard-working and engaged. It’s a great village school.”

Ofsted grade schools as being Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate.