A popular York primary school has been praised by Ofsted in its first inspection since becoming an academy in April 2016.

Scarcroft Primary School, part of the South Bank Multi Academy Trust, has been rated ‘Good’ after it was inspected for the first time since leaving local authority control.

Headteacher Paul Edwards said: “I am hugely proud of this great outcome and the whole school community.

“The strong sense of community is something the inspectors commented on and this outcome definitely reflects how well the Scarcroft staff, parents, governors and pupils work and learn together.”

The Ofsted report, which followed a two-day inspection last month, said that pupils at Scarcroft were ‘safe and happy’.

It recognised the high level of support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and praised other pupils who were ‘supportive of their peers with SEND’.

The inspectors’ report said that curriculum planning was ‘detailed and well sequenced’, that ‘subject leadership is strong’ and that ‘children learn to read quickly’.

Inspectors also praised the school leaders who ‘ensure pupils develop as active citizens’.

Areas where the school was working hard to provide educational excellence included the early years staff, who were ‘highly knowledgeable and ambitious for children’s learning’, Inspectors noted.

“The chief executive officer (CEO), trustees and governors are highly knowledgeable and deeply committed to the school,” inspectors reported, adding that there was a positive ethos and collaborative way of working between leaders, and that staff valued the training opportunities available.

Inspectors did identify two areas for improvement, however - the need to use assessment strategies consistently and the importance of addressing ‘pockets of poor behaviour’ in school.

Mark Hassack, the chief executive of South Bank Multi Academy Trust, said: “Huge congratulations to Paul and the team at Scarcroft Primary School.

“This is an excellent outcome for everyone and the positive feedback in the report is testament to the hard work of everyone within the school community.

“I know colleagues work hard every day to provide an excellent education for their children, but they also go the extra mile for students with additional needs as well as providing opportunities to help all pupils prepare for life after primary school and beyond.

“Following this positive outcome, we will be working with Paul and the team on further improvements, but most importantly, we will continue to do what we do well, and that is making sure that pupils feel safe and happy at our school.”

Scarcroft Primary School was previously given the top Ofsted rating of ‘outstanding’ back in 2009.

It is part of the South Bank Multi Academy Trust - which also includes York High School, Millthorpe School, Carr Junior School, Knavesmire Primary School and Woodthorpe Primary School.

The Trust is embroiled in a dispute with teaching assistants and other support staff about changes to their working contracts, which will effectively see them taking large pay cuts.