Children at Houghton Regis primary school are thriving says glowing Ofsted report

Attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance and personal development were rated as strong by the education watchdog, safeguarding standards were confirmed as met, and achievement and curriculum and teaching both met the expected standard.

Inspectors visited St Vincent’s on Hammersmith Gardens, which is part of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, in July and found pupils “thrive in all aspects of school life”.

The report stated: “From the early years through to Year 6, pupils are polite, friendly and welcoming. They consistently demonstrate the school’s virtues. For example, pupils are loving, honest, tolerant and respectful.”

And it added: “The school is very calm. There is no disruption to learning because pupils rise to meet staff’s high expectations of their behaviour.”

The inspectors, led by Caroline Crozier, also noted that pupil’s attendance is “above the national average and rising” while “in national tests, pupils’ achievement is close to or above the average in all subjects”.

Amanda Dowling, headteacher at St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this report. It captures so much of what makes St Vincent’s such a wonderful place to learn – our fantastic children, the dedication of our staff and the strong sense of care and community that runs through our school.

“To see inspectors recognise not only how well our pupils achieve, but the kind, confident and resilient young people they are becoming, makes us incredibly proud.

“Our children deserve this recognition and I know our staff and families will be thrilled to see their hard work and support reflected so positively.”

Inspectors described pupils as “loving, honest, tolerant and respectful”, noting “staff hardly ever need to remind pupils about their behaviour, incidents of unkindness such as bullying and discrimination are infrequent".

The report added: “Pupils value difference. They accept and respect cultural and religious differences within and outside the school community. The fundamental British values of democracy, tolerance, the rule of law and individual liberty are threaded through the curriculum.”

And inspectors noted that leaders “waste no time in identifying any barriers pupils face to attendance, achievement or social success”, while also taking pains to support staff.

"Leaders look after staff wellbeing,” the report added. “Continuing staff development is a cornerstone of leaders' improvement work.”

Governors and trustees were also recognised for their strong strategic oversight and role in driving continuous improvement.

Mark McLaughlin, CEO of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, said: “This is an excellent reflection of the commitment shown by the entire team at St Vincent’s. The report captures a school where children are known well, expectations are high and pupils are given the support and opportunities they need to flourish.

“To have another school in our Trust receive such a positive Ofsted report within a matter of months is something we are incredibly proud of. It shows the real momentum across our schools and the difference that can happen by working together as a trust family. St Vincent’s should be hugely proud of this result, and we are excited to see the school keep building on it.”