Staff and pupils at St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Woodbridge are celebrating the publication of the recent Ofsted inspection report. The school, with a pupil roll of about 200 children, has officially been told it is a ‘Good’ school.
The short inspection focused on areas identified in the last inspection five years ago, which were Maths, and challenge for the most able pupils. In a letter to Karen Read, Headteacher, it found that:
“Parents, carers, staff and pupils think very highly of the school and your leadership. You lead the school with passion and the desire to ensure that all pupils achieve the best they can. Since your appointment, you have engaged with the school community to share your vision of how to improve standards even further. You and your senior team have focused on improving teaching, using assessment information to plan opportunities to improve pupils’ progress and broaden the range of extracurricular activities for pupils. Your high expectations are shared by all.”
Parents spoke very highly of the school, with one parent saying:
“St Mary’s is a nurturing school, where children are happy and encouraged to develop academically, emotionally, physically and spiritually.”
Another added, ‘The school provides a secure environment and inspires children to want to learn.’
Mrs Karen Read, Headteacher said:
“We are delighted that this positive report reflects the importance of the role of the whole school community in contributing to our success. The best way to get a feel for a school though is to visit and we would encourage prospective parents to come and see us. We are holding a Stay and Play Open Morning on Sunday 18th November from 10am to 12pm and invite parents to bring their children if they are considering applying for a place in September 2019. Spaces are still available in our current Reception class and we welcome all families of any or no faith.”
This was the primary school’s first inspection since joining the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) in 2016.
Jane Sheat, CEO of the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Multi Academy Trust, said:
“The MAT is a strong and growing collaborative network of church primary schools in Suffolk and we now have 17 schools. I am pleased that Ofsted recognised that both staff and governors have benefited from opportunities across other trust schools to engage in training and development work. Being part of the MAT brings benefits for staff and pupils as we share good practice and work together to provide high quality teaching and learning across our schools.”
For more information
on St Mary’s, and the full Ofsted letter, please see the school website at
www.st-maryscofe.suffolk.sch.uk/
Picture shows Karen Read (Headteacher), Alex Gwynne (Deputy Headteacher) and the School Council
celebrating the school’s Ofsted report.