A primary school is celebrating after being rated 'Good' for the first time in its history.

Copperfield Academy in Dover Road East, Northfleet, was placed into special measures as recently as 2019 when Ofsted inspectors judged it inadequate amid a reported staff exodus and high turnover of headteachers.

It prompted the regional schools commissioner to pen a letter to the trustees of the REAch2 Academy Trust, which runs the school and the Tymberwood Academy in Cerne Road, explaining it could have its funding axed if its performance doesn't improve.

But the current leadership team has since overseen a remarkable turnaround following a series of recent monitoring visits.

During the latest full Ofsted inspection, held last month after pupils returned to the classroom, it received its first "Good" rating, across all five categories.

Inspectors, led by Frances Nation, were impressed with the progress made by the Academy, which first opened in November 2013, and say its 433 pupils "flourish and thrive".

Their report made particular reference to the "broad and interesting curriculum" on offer, stating: "Leaders are now rightly focusing on their efforts on further strengthening the teaching in some subjects, such as history and science, from reception to year six.

"Leaders are revising their plans so that teachers are clear about what is the most important content pupils should be taught.

"Further work is underway to ensure that this content is taught in the most efficient order to help pupils learn and remember more."

Recent improvements to the teaching of mathematics, regarded as an area of weakness previously, were also noted.

School leaders have adapted their planning well to address any gaps in pupils’ learning because of the impact of the pandemic and are now focusing on similar efforts across all subjects, inspectors added.

Credit was also given to teaching teams for work done to continue to provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils despite Covid-19.

These include restarting lunchtime and after school clubs, as well as organising virtual concerts and other activities.

They have also brought in visitors to talk to older pupils about online safety and how they can manage risks as they move on to secondary school.

Ofsted noted that pupils concentrate well in lessons, are well behaved, and enjoy the extra-curricular activities on offer such as visits to France and yoga and art classes.

The Trust and senior leadership teams were also singled out for praise for their role in overseeing the school's reversal in fortunes.

Changes implemented included co-creating and instilling a new code of conduct, the school labelled the "The Copperfield Way".

The school explained how it had shifted the "culture and climate" to one of transparency and "advocating loyalty and trust".

It helped achieved this by clarifying staff roles and putting in place new systems to ensure workload was managed more effectively

Inspectors said the leaders' mantra, "children are our priority", is "front and centre at this diverse and multicultural school" and that actions taken over time had been "successful".

"This past year has been challenging but I have been so impressed with how the Copperfield community has responded with such maturity and dedication to their learning."

Simon Wood, executive headteacher at Copperfield Academy, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this Ofsted report, which highlights how much hard work our staff and pupils put in every day.

"This past year has been challenging but I have been so impressed with how the Copperfield community has responded with such maturity and dedication to their learning.

"We are now providing a high-quality education which supports every pupil here to reach their full potential, and this Ofsted judgement shows that has now become a reality.”

Cathie Paine, deputy chief executive of the REAch2 Academy Trust, said: “Congratulations to Simon and his incredible team, who should feel very proud of the hard work they have put in to transform Copperfield Academy to this point.

"Their commitment and dedication to ensuring every pupil at Copperfield succeeds is clear to see, and I am so pleased that this shines through from the Ofsted report.

"I have every confidence that this is just the start for the staff and pupils at Copperfield and look forward to seeing the school continue to go from strength to strength.”

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