THERE is an “overwhelming feeling of respect and acceptance” in a Bradford primary school.

That was the verdict of Ofsted inspectors who visited Iqra Primary Academy, on Drummond Road, Manningham.

It was rated as ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for behaviour and attitudes and personal development.

The school, previously Iqra Community Primary School, was last inspected in 2010 and following that visit, was given an ‘outstanding’ rating overall.

A report from the most recent inspection – carried out on October 31 and November 1 – said: “There is an overwhelming feeling of respect and acceptance in this school.

“Pupils are consistently kind and encouraging to each other.

“Pupils listen carefully when classmates are speaking, and they help when their classmates need it.

“They thoroughly enjoy their time in school, in lessons and outside.

“The school has the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).”

Inspectors added: “Pupils’ ability to manage their own behaviour is exceptional. Pupils know the rules and routines in the school so well that they need almost no reminding of what to do or how to behave.”

They said that pupils also “gain a huge amount of cultural knowledge about Bradford and all its diversity”.

When looking at areas of improvement, inspectors said: “Some staff do not have the subject knowledge needed to deliver some parts of the curriculum to a high level.

“The school should train all staff to have the subject knowledge that they need across subjects and areas of learning.”

Andrea Ives, principal of Iqra Primary Academy, said: “We are so proud of the community we have built at IQRA and across the Trust more broadly. I’d like to thank our staff, pupils and families for their ongoing support and dedication.

“It’s wonderful to see such a positive outcome, as a result of the approach we’ve taken, particularly in areas like science, design and technology where we have invested heavily to ensure our pupils are equipped with the skills needed to excel in life beyond their education.” 

Professor M. Khurshid Khan, CEO of iExel Education Trust, added: “The work of Principal, Andrea, and the IQRA team over the past one and half years has been exceptional.

“As a Trust, we have invested more than £1.8 million across our three schools for improvements, so it’s really rewarding to see this dedication and effort formally recognised by Ofsted.”