A PRIMARY school in Maldon has maintained its ‘good’ rating after their latest inspection.

Baynards Primary School was given ‘good’ ratings across the board when Ofsted visited the school recently.

These came in: the quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management and early years provision.

The ‘good’ inspection score was maintained from the last visit which was in 2016.

This visit was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and this was considered in their evaluation.

They also spoke with various members of staff and students, observed lessons, breaktimes and lunchtimes.

The Ofsted report described Baynards as a “happy, productive place to learn, where pupils behave well and get along”.

There was a lot of praise on the emphasis the school put on reading.

The report said: “Pupils were keen to tell inspectors how much they enjoy reading, adults encourage them to read often.

“Pupils showed inspectors the wide range of books that are available for them to read and the welcoming places, such the library, in which they can read them.

“Leaders have made clear the importance of reading and children learn to read from the start of their education.

“Staff have a secure knowledge of how to teach early reading, and pupils quickly pick up important knowledge and strategies to become fluent, accurate readers.

“Pupils love talking about the stories, poems and factual books that they read, and teachers follow the school’s well-thought-out approach so that pupils read widely.”

Further report notes added that: “Pupils told inspectors that learning is enjoyable and suitably challenging, saying that their classmates support them in their learning.

“Pupils understand that learning can sometimes get tricky, but they said that teachers help them to develop the resilience to stick at the tougher problems.”

The school were praised in many other areas as well, including its safeguarding, teacher’s subject knowledge, learning strategies and the work of local governors.

The school in Townsend Road, Tiptree, was inspected over two days in October.