‘Blown away’: Sunderland primary school performs 'exceptionally' in latest Ofsted inspection

Fulwell Junior School, in Fulwell, Sunderland, received an “exceptional standard” in personal development and wellbeing, and “strong standard” in achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion and leadership and governance.

According to Ofsted, “pupils thrive at this highly aspirational, warm and welcoming school”.

The report states: “They feel a real sense of belonging and pride in the uniqueness of the offer that they receive.

"Pupils rise to the high standards that staff expect from them. They develop their future aspirations as a result of highly effective work around careers.”

Pupils’ behaviour at school has also been described as “very positive”, with students claiming “they feel safe” in school.

The report states: “Pupils say they really enjoy their learning and as a result they attend well.

"They value the wider opportunities they receive to develop as citizens of the world and the work that staff do to prepare them for life beyond school.

"Pupils achieve very well across the curriculum.

"This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those who may face other barriers to learning.”

Ofsted has given the school one area to improve on, stating: “Leaders should continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for improvement in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils across all areas of school life.”

Peter Speck, headteacher at Fulwell Junior School, said: “The report perfectly captures what we set out to do each day, to significantly raise aspirations of all children through delivering a unique curriculum with a relentless focus on the highest of standards.

"For Ofsted to declare our approach as “transformative” is testament to our incredible staff, who work tirelessly each day to deliver the Fulwell vision.

“We would like to express our gratitude to our amazing community, our parents, carers and governors, who provide us with continuous support to help us achieve our aims.

"Inspectors were blown away by the respect and confidence demonstrated by our children and we feel that together we help them to be the best that they can be.”