The summer term at Ickford Primary School has been one of the busiest, most exciting and successful in the school’s history, with a series of remarkable achievements providing plenty of reasons for the whole school community to celebrate.

The biggest highlight came with the publication of their latest Ofsted report, in which Ickford was awarded two Exceptional and five Strong judgements. Exceptional is the highest possible recognition and is reserved for schools that demonstrate the highest standards, sustained over time, with a transformational impact on pupils and their wider community.

"We are incredibly proud to have been the first school in Buckinghamshire to receive an Exceptional judgement – and to receive two is an extraordinary achievement," said Headteacher Dawn Basnett. Ickford was awarded Exceptional for Achievement, and Attendance and Behaviour, reflecting the consistently high standards and expectations across the school.

Following the inspection, Ickford School is now ranked within the top 1% of primary schools nationally. To put this achievement into perspective, Exceptional judgements are awarded to only a very small proportion of schools across the country.

The recognition continued with a letter received from His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, congratulating the school on its exceptional inspection outcomes. This is a tremendous endorsement of the hard work and dedication of everyone at Ickford.

"As Headteacher, I am immensely proud of our teachers and support staff," said Dawn, "whose commitment, expertise and determination ensure that our children receive the very best education. Most importantly, however, this success belongs to our wonderful children. Their enthusiasm, resilience, hard work and determination are at the heart of everything we achieve."

The successes continued into July with another outstanding set of Year 6 SATs results. 100% of our Year 6 pupils achieved the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Mathematics, with between 56% and 73% achieving Greater Depth across the three subjects.

The school's younger pupils have also enjoyed considerable success. The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check achieved an impressive 95% pass rate, while 85% of our Reception children achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the EYFS.

These results are a wonderful reflection of the high expectations, excellent teaching and hard work of both pupils and staff throughout their time at Ickford. Well done to all.