St Clare's Primary in Clacton is rated 'good' by Ofsted

St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Cloes Lane, Clacton, achieved another ‘good’ rating after its latest ungraded inspection.

Ungraded inspections are carried out about every four years to confirm that a school remains ‘good’.

Ofsted officials said there had been “no change” to the school’s overall rating of ‘good’ as a result of the ungraded inspection— but “evidence gathered” suggested the grade could be ‘outstanding’ if a graded inspection was carried out now. 

Thumbs up - Headteacher Jamie Whiteside is proud of the school and its pupils  (Image: St Clare's Catholic Primary School) Inspectors said the school, which has 372 pupils, has developed a “broad, balanced, and ambitious curriculum”, with a goal to ensure that "every child is a successful learner".

Headteacher Jamie Whiteside said: “We are incredibly proud of all the hard work of staff, governors, parents and carers, but most importantly the children at St Clare’s.

“Everyone here works extremely hard to ensure our pupils achieve successful outcomes whilst developing into well rounded, happy individuals.

“At St Clare’s, we believe a happy school leads to a successful school.

“To this end we are delighted that Ofsted recognises this in our community too.”

Great - Pupils have extensive opportunities and exemplary behaviour (Image: St Clare's Catholic Primary School) Pupils at this school “learn to love and love to learn”, officials said, as pupils tackle challenging tasks in lessons resiliently and are keen to do their best, showing “exemplary” behaviour.

They have “extensive opportunities” to extend their classroom learning and achieve highly, while the school "ensures that learning to read is of the highest priority”, the report said.

Ofsted said pupils with special educational needs make strong progress at St Clare’s, as leaders quickly identify pupils with SEND needs and provide appropriate support.

Rating - Evidence gathered suggests the school would be rated outstanding if given a new graded inspection (Image: St Clare's Catholic Primary School) Mr Whiteside said: “The Ofsted report identified so many strengths and whilst we are really pleased we were judged as good in all areas, the evidence collected suggests we may be judged as outstanding at the next inspection.

“It has been heart-warming to read all the lovely comments in the report and the team got to see us at our best, even in the last week of the summer term.”

For more information, visit: www.st-clares.essex.sch.uk