News 11th February 2026
Sherborne Primary School praised by Ofsted for its positive culture and high expectations
“Leaders have developed an inclusive culture with a clear commitment for all pupils to achieve, belong and thrive” says Ofsted, following their recent inspection of Sherborne Primary School.
The school has become one of the first in the UK to be inspected under the new Ofsted framework, whereby schools no longer receive a single overall judgement such as “Good” or “Outstanding”. Instead, inspectors issue a report card, grading schools on a five-point scale across eight separate performance areas. The new criteria is highly rigorous, with schools needing to meet every element of the criteria in full, rather than on a ‘best fit’ basis.
We are pleased to share that Sherborne Primary School met the expected standard in the following five key areas: Attendance & Behaviour, Early Years, Inclusion, Leadership & Governance and Personal Development & Wellbeing, as well as meeting the Safeguarding criteria, with inspectors highlighting this as a real strength.
Inspectors praised the school’s positive culture of behaviour, high expectations for attendance, inclusive ethos, and ambition for children. The report says “Leaders have created a positive culture of behaviour within the school. This is built on the shared understanding that everyone plays a part in making the Sherborne Primary community a kind and respectful place” and “Pupils at Sherborne Primary enjoy being part of this caring community. They feel they belong and know they are safe.”
Two areas were identified as ‘needing attention’ – Achievement, and Curriculum & Teaching. While Sherborne Primary met much of the required criteria, these grades reflect areas where not all elements were fully met. Crucially, inspectors recognised that both areas were already priorities within the school’s development plan, put in place at the start of the academic year. Work is underway to improve foundational handwriting across the school, ensure children are given the chance to correct mistakes after receiving feedback marking, and the school is expecting to see higher SATs data this summer.
Under the new inspection arrangements, schools can request a re-inspection of areas graded ‘Needs attention’ after just three months. Sherborne Primary School welcomes this opportunity and is confident that inspectors will see clear and measurable improvements.
Head of School Felicity Griffiths said “We are extremely pleased that this inspection recognises Sherborne Primary as a safe, inclusive and caring school, with strong sense of citizenship, positive behaviour and high expectations for our children. Safeguarding is a real strength for us, and we are proud that this was clearly acknowledged.
The new inspection framework is very exacting, and while we are delighted with the areas where we met the expected standard, we are equally confident about the improvements already under way in achievement and teaching. These were priorities for us before the inspection, and we look forward to demonstrating the impact of this work when we are re-visited.”
David Watson, CEO of SAST, added: “Sherborne Primary School exemplifies the values we champion across SAST. Inspectors clearly recognised the school’s inclusive culture, strong leadership and the high expectations that underpin daily life for pupils. This is a school where children feel safe, valued and inspired to do their best, supported by a dedicated staff team who go above and beyond for their community. We are incredibly proud of what Sherborne Primary continues to achieve.”
