A SCHOOL dubbed “the heart of the village” has received its first Ofsted report after becoming an academy - with its rating being "good" but some improvements required.

Kirkby Fleetham Church of England Primary School near Northallerton was converted to become an academy school in November 2017.

The Ofsted report, which took place earlier this year, was the first inspection since the school's conversion to academy status.

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In the inspection, inspectors concluded that the school, which is part of the Dales Academies Trust, had a “family feel” that ensured pupils “feel safe and secure.”

The Ofsted report also highlighted that after its conversion, leaders have “strengthened their partnership with staff in the other primary schools in the four-school group.”

The school, which is part of the Dales Academies, also has a strong Christian ethos, where pupils are “taught to respect each other and be kind.”

However, the Ofsted report did highlight some areas that did require improvement such as subject leaders not identifying disciplinary knowledge in sufficient detail for each year group in every foundation subject

According to Ofsted, this means pupils are not achieving “as well as they could in history and geography”.

It also found that the school's curriculum was not well planned and arranged in some subjects, however, “it is clear from leaders’ actions that they are in the process of bringing this about.

Damian Chubb, CEO of the Dales Academies Trust, said the outcome of the inspection was “incredibly pleasing.”

He said: “Kirkby Fleetham is not the biggest of schools, but that doesn’t mean that our aspirations for our pupils should be any less high."

Mrs Helen Dudman, headteacher at the school, said she was “incredibly proud of the staff and pupils.”

She added: “I am delighted that Ofsted have recognised how happy the children are and the fact that we are a genuine close knit our family.”

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“This spirit does not, however, come without hard work and effort. I would like to thank all our community for everything they do to support our school. It is a real team effort.”

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