Ofsted

As you are aware Ofsted visited the school on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2010. Six inspectors took part and judged the school on a wide range of different categories.

The judgements on the school are extremely pleasing with no category being judged less than ‘Good’.

The Ofsted definition of ‘Good’ is, “These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well”.

Five areas of the school were judged to be “Outstanding”. These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs.

The ‘Outstanding’ areas were:

• The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and /or disabilities and their progress
• The extent to which pupils feel safe
• Pupils’ attendance
• The effectiveness of care , guidance and support
• The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting wellbeing

All these areas reflect the commitment of Whickham School to the well being of all its students. We are delighted that Ofsted recognised this commitment. Pupils who are happy, secure, well cared for and supported have the best possible opportunity to succeed. Equally partnerships are crucial to the success of any school and Whickham values all its partnerships extremely highly.

The school has never been complacent and the challenge remains to be judged Outstanding in all categories. We believe this to be a realistic aim.

The Inspectors recognised the significant progress the school has made since the last inspection. It is important for parents to realise that Ofsted has ‘raised the bar’ significantly in terms of their judgements. To receive ‘Good’ is markedly tougher than in previous inspections.

Ofsted recognised how well the school knows itself and commended the school on the effectiveness and accuracy of its self-evaluation. Hence, the areas for improvement had already been identified by the school.

Significant time and effort has been directed to further improve results in maths and the school is confident that this summer will see significant improvements. We have already embarked on strategies to enhance the quality of teaching and learning and real progress has been made in the last eighteen months. Tracking and monitoring of student progress will remain a priority with our systems becoming more accurate and sophisticated and presented in a way that can be accessed by students and parents also.

To see the full Ofsted Report please go to the Ofsted website Click Here