A primary school has been praised by Ofsted inspectors for exceptional work helping pupils to grow and awarded another “good” rating from the education regulator.

The Harrow Gate Primary Academy on Piper Knowle Road, Hardwick, Stockton was marked as outstanding for personal development and good in all other categories – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision. Ofsted commended good behaviour and achievement while noting suspensions and saying the school should ensure “consistently better progress” in reading, writing and maths.

Three inspectors said the school, which taught 435 children aged three to 11, had high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and achievement: “Most pupils behave very well. They are polite and well-mannered and show respect for both their peers and adults.”

They said staff were comprehensively trained and taught well with an ambitious, well-planned curriculum: “Pupils are happy and safe in this caring and inclusive school. Strong relationships are central to school life. Pupils have confidence in adults to help and support them.

“Children in the early years get off to a strong start. They enjoy positive relationships with adults. Children feel safe and secure in the setting which is reflected in their levels of confidence.”

The inspectors praised the school’s positive reading culture: “Pupils understand the importance of learning to read. Many soon become competent, fluent readers.”

They added: “Pupils say that incidents of bullying are unusual. They are confident that if bullying did happen, adults will deal with it quickly.

“The school has recently introduced a new behaviour policy. Staff and pupils appreciate the simplicity of the new rules ‘ready, respectful, safe’.

“While many pupils behave very well, incidents of suspension are high. When pupils are suspended, the school puts appropriate and effective support in place to prevent it from happening again.”

Inspectors said leaders were passionate about the school and its community, with “strong systems in place” and well-supported staff. They added children appreciated making a difference to the school, were proud of a school garden and had a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

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They said the school, part of the Enquire Learning Trust, swiftly identified and helped children with potential special educational needs or disabilities (SEND): “The school is meticulous is in its approach to the provision for these pupils. This support is wide-ranging.”

And they praised the school’s “exceptional opportunities for pupils’ personal development”, teaching them about social justice, equality, peace, conflict, power and governance. These themes were woven through the curriculum plans and books were carefully chosen to inspire children and teach them about issues like racism.

The report goes on: “Pupils can give examples of discrimination and know why it is wrong. They have a secure understanding of different faiths, fundamental British values and the protected characteristics.

“Leaders use funding wisely to enable vulnerable pupils to access opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise get. For example, some pupils attend clubs in the community at the weekend.”

The inspectors, who visited for two days in June, had one area of improvement for the school, rated good after its last full inspection in 2017. They said: “While many pupils achieve well, they do not make consistently strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

“This means that pupils are not achieving as highly as they potentially could do. The school should continue to further embed the changes made to the curriculum to ensure that pupils make consistently better progress.”

The Enquire Learning Trust has declined to comment on the report.