Marshwood School celebrates after Ofsted praise (From Dorset Echo)

Marshwood School celebrates after Ofsted praise

3:30pm Saturday 9th February 2013 in News By Anne Bell

A WEST Dorset school is generating great academic results as well as green electricity.

Pupils, staff and governors at Marshwood School are celebrating their grading of ‘good with outstanding features’ following January’s Ofsted inspection.

The school was the first in Dorset to install a wind turbine to help power the school.

The Ofsted inspector stated that there has been rapid improvement in the school and attainment has risen dramatically and all pupils make good progress, some of which is outstanding. The report states that: “Teaching is always good with some that is outstanding” and also “literacy and numeracy are particularly well taught.”

The inspector also writes: “Pupils enjoy school because learning is made exciting. As a result, attendance is high. Behaviour is excellent and pupils get on extremely well together. They are judged as “extremely polite, well mannered and behaved exceptionally well.”

The report adds that the headteacher’s expertise, coupled with her exceptionally strong leadership, shown since joining the school three years ago, has developed a very strong whole school team. The governing body is judged to be well trained and effectively monitoring and challenging the school.

Headteacher Helen Whitehead said: “The last three years have been exciting and I am extremely proud of the achievements of the high quality team that supports our children. It has been extremely satisfying, both personally and professionally, to lead and be an integral part of Marshwood school.

“We are all very proud of our school and we agree with the inspector that to become an outstanding school we need to sustain our rapid rise in attainment and progress and move our consistently good teaching to outstanding teaching.

“Whilst there are no improvement points for children’s behaviour and safety and management and leadership, we are all committed to maintaining the current excellent high standard.”

Chairman of governors at the school Barry Allsop said: “The inspector rightly recognised the industrious and dedicated work of our teachers and the skilled manner in which all staff have enabled the school to improve.

“We are all extremely proud of the whole staff team and the professional manner in which Helen Whitehead, the headteacher, has managed to bring such rapid and secure improvement since the last inspection, when the school was judged as satisfactory.

“The inspector correctly states that the staff shares a commitment for Marshwood to become an outstanding school.”