A Birmingham primary school has become one of the first in the country to get top marks under tough new guidelines from Ofsted.
Woodthorpe Junior And Infant School in Kings Heath has been rated outstanding following a visit by the government watchdog.
A team of inspectors descended on the school with just two days’ notice, under new inspection guidelines which concentrate on four key areas of achievement – quality of teaching, leadership and management, and standards of behaviour and safety.
Inspectors found the 200 pupils had an “outstanding” education at the school, where the number of children who come from minority ethnic groups and speak English as a second language is much higher than average.
The report read: “Woodthorpe Junior And Infant School provides an outstanding education for its pupils.
“The school plays a central part within the community and is greatly valued by most parents and carers, the very large majority of whom are happy with their children’s experience at the school.”
Head teacher Helen Brigham was also singled out for praise, with inspectors calling her an “inspiration” and said she was backed by a strong team of teachers.
Mrs Brigham said: “I’m so proud of all of the children.
“The inspectors said how much they enjoyed spending time at the school with the children.”
Woodthorpe’s top rating comes as Park View Business And Enterprise School, in Alum Rock, became the first school nationally to be judged outstanding after the new Ofsted rules came into force on January 1.
An impressive 72 per cent of students at the inner-city school achieved the benchmark five or more A*-C grades including maths and English. This is compared to 58 per cent nationally.
Other West Midlands success stories include St John Bosco Catholic Primary School in West Bromwich, which was rated outstanding after an Ofsted visit in February.
