PUPILS and staff at a Bournemouth school are delighted after receiving a glowing report from Ofsted, four years after inspectors found a “swift improvement” was needed.

Heathlands Primary Academy was scrutinised during a two-day visit from government education inspectors in June and was graded as ‘Good’ in each category – a marked improvement from the ‘Requires Improvement’ rating given in 2018.

The one form entry primary school, in Springwater Road, has 191 pupils between the ages of three and 11 and inspectors said the pupils feel happy and safe there. The latest report praised the school’s inclusive ethos, strong provision in place for all pupils and the high expectations of its leadership.

The report states: “Pupils have a good understanding of equality and difference. They respect other viewpoints and cultures. Pupils say you can ‘be yourself’ at Heathlands and you will be accepted. Leaders nurture this ethos through the focus on well-being and mental health following the pandemic.

“The ‘Heathlands Way’ is known and understood by everyone. The shared language means that staff manage any incidents of poor behaviour with consistency.”

This is a drastic improvement on the school’s first Ofsted report in 2018, which was told it required improvement in all aspects of the school’s running. Since then, Heathlands has joined the Coastal Learning Partnership in March 2020 and a new headteacher was appointed in May 2020.

Reacting to the improved report, headteacher Janine Harries said: “We are delighted by the recognition of the hard work of all members of our school community, especially as the last two years have been disrupted by the pandemic.

“We are very proud of our children and we look forward to building on this success as we go forward. We have a few spaces available for September and prospective parents are very welcome to call and arrange to visit and see us in action.”

Parents are “overwhelmingly positive about the school” according to the report and an improvement in the quality of education and curriculum was also praised, as was safeguarding and the provision for pupils with special educational needs.