Ofsted best and worst primary schools - and incredible turnarounds

However, the ratings from 'inadequate' to 'outstanding' may not tell the whole story with rapid improvements taking place behind the scenes at one Worcester primary school, which has now become an academy.

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Councils across England will confirm children's places for primary schools on April 16.

There are more than 120 primary schools rated as having serious weaknesses, inadequate or placed in special measures by Ofsted in England.

Overall grades range from grade one (outstanding) to grade four (inadequate).

Grade two means the school is good while grade three means the school needs improvement.

Inadequate schools

The following schools in Worcestershire have been rated inadequate (although many are now academies which need reinspection, so Ofsted reports may not provide an up-to-date picture of what is happening in schools): 

• Dines Green Academy (which now no longer exists, replaced by Honeywell Primary which has not yet been rated);
• Grove Primary School in Malvern;
• Northleigh CofE Primary School in Malvern,
• Rushwick CofE Primary School (now an academy); 
• St Matthias Church of England Primary School in Malvern Link (which now no longer exists, now St. Matthias C of E Primary Academy);
• Upper Arley CofE VC Primary School;
• Witton Middle School. 

Outstanding schools 

These are the county primary schools rated outstanding by Ofsted according to the Government performance data:

• Grimley and Holt CofE Primary School;
• Harvington CofE First School in Evesham; 
• Hindlip CofE First School; 
• Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School in Pershore;
• Inkberrow Primary School; Leigh and Bransford Primary School;
• Northwick Manor Primary School;
• Pitmaston Primary School;
• Powick CofE Primary School;
• Sedgeberrow CofE First School;
• St Clement's CofE Primary; 
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Broadway;
• Suckley Primary School in Church Lane, Worcester; 
• Sytchampton Endowed Primary School in Sytchampton, near Stourport;
• Tibberton CofE First School;
• Upton Snodsbury CofE First School;
• Wilden All Saints CofE Primary School

Councillor Tracey Onslow, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education, said: “We have a clear ambition to provide a good educational offer across Worcestershire to enable children and young people to achieve their full potential.

"We know this is vital to support their transition to adulthood and being able to live happy, healthy and prosperous lives.

"We are committed to ensuring at least four out of every five schools across the county are rated by Ofsted as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’. We will continue to work closely with our local school communities to ensure that they have the support they need and the facilities in place to continue improving their performance across all areas.”

Karen Banford, head teacher at Cherry Orchard Primary School in Timberdine Close, Worcester since September 2020, has spoken about how hard work and dedication can transform the fortunes of schools and the outcomes for pupils.

The school was rated inadequate by Ofsted but changes have taken place behind the scenes since they became part of the Rivers Academy in April 2021.

She said: "Since becoming part of the highly successful Rivers Academy Trust, the new leadership team at Cherry Orchard has worked extremely hard to revise and refresh the quality of education at Cherry Orchard.

"Our dedicated staff have participated in a programme high-quality training events all based on the latest research to renew their professional understanding. The team are now feeling professionally nourished and have a renewed appetite for reflecting, and learning from research and education innovation. The school has become a hotbed for learning, for everyone, especially the children!

"We have had two Ofsted Monitoring visits since the inspection judgment in January 2020, one in October 2020 and one in February 2021."

The inspectors identified in February 2021 that the school has 'rightly prioritised improving the curriculum', and cited 'improvements to the way that lessons are planned and delivered in reading and writing'.

She attributed the strong capacity of leaders at the school to the Department for Education's decision to grant permission to open the pre-school at Cherry Orchard called, ‘Little Cherries’ which already has a waiting list for places.

She added: "We have a wealth of talent in the school, our strong reputation and stability over many decades is still there and we love sharing our school with new generations of parents and pupils. 

"I am very proud to be a Head Teacher and I do think I have the best job in the world. Since I joined Cherry Orchard, I have been incredibly proud to see the children and staff navigate their way through the Covid pandemic with resilience and care for each other, whilst also making the change needed to address the Ofsted concerns."

Sian Williams, head teacher of Northwick Manor Primary School, has laid out what she believes are the most important features of an Ofsted outstanding rating which include good relationships between pupils, pupils and teachers and teachers and parents. "Really, it's about everybody, all stakeholders working in partnership for the same outcome," said Ms Williams.

She added: "We worked really, really hard to get that Ofsted judgement at a time when we had a two-year pandemic."

She also said consistency was important in raising standards as well as valuing the whole of the curriculum. 

Mr A Gromski, executive headteacher of Tibberton and Hindlip CE First Schools, said: "It is a privilege to serve our local communities. As Outstanding Schools strong community ties are vital. Community ties help foster a supportive and inclusive environment, both for our pupils and our wider community/families (especially with the many external pressures families face at the moment)."