TWO York primary schools have turned their fortunes around to get glowing reports from Government inspectors.

Hob Moor Oaks special needs school and Hob Moor primary schools are two primaries on one site, which form the Hob Moor Federation at Hob Moor Children’s Centre in Acomb.

In 2007 Hob Moor Primary School was given Notice to Improve by Ofsted and during the past three years the leadership team, governors and staff have worked hard to raise standards at the school and meet the requirements laid down in the previous inspection report.

This has resulted in the school having made significant improvements in all areas, and now Ofsted inspectors have said both schools are “good schools with outstanding features”, following inspections carried out last month.

The report, from Ofsted, said: “An important factor in the school’s success since the last inspection has been the federation… and its highly effective range of partnerships. Benefits have included a strengthened leadership and management team and the now good and occasionally outstanding outcomes for pupils.

“Outstanding partnerships work seamlessly together, impacting extremely positively on pupils outcomes.”

Ofsted’s report praised the school’s improvement, saying: “in most lessons, teaching and learning are good and sometimes outstanding. Pupils enjoy learning, behave well and make good progress.”

The Hob Moor children’s centre was opened in October 2006 by Dame Tanni Grey Thompson.

At the time, it was the first centre in the UK to incorporate both a special needs school and mainstream primary under one roof. The facility is part of the York School’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme, which is owned and operated by Sewell Education.

Angela Charlton, Federation Principal, said: “We are a very unique federation and having Ofsted recognise that our partnership working, and the development of a shared curriculum which is at the heart of all our pupils making good and outstanding progress, is a resounding endorsement of all the hard work and high expectations of all governors and staff across the federation.”

Pete Dwyer, Director of Adult, Children and Education Services at York City Council, said: “The comments around partnership working really demonstrate the value of their federation and its impact for both groups of pupils. We congratulate all pupils, staff, governors and parents, and wish them well for the future."