Ofsted gives thumbs-up

8:44am Thursday 17th January 2008

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STAFF, pupils, parents and governors of Bridport St Mary's School are celebrating a thumbs-up from Ofsted, which praised the school for its good teaching, rising standards and caring community.

Ofsted inspector Mark Lindfield judged the school to be good and improving and was impressed with new head Kay Rawling's achievements in creating a strong and supportive team around her.

He said: "Given the low starting points and the learning needs of many pupils on arrival, pupils make good progress. By the time they leave Year 6, most have reached national average standards. Standards have risen across the school over the last two years, The school is well aware of its strengths and weaknesses and has managed to raise standards through the effective actions of the school's leadership team."

What was of concern, he said, was the number of unauthorised absences.

"Despite recent improvements, the level of attendances is still too low," he said. "Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning but the progress of a small minority is hampered by their poor attendance.

"The school is beginning to tackle this issue and there are early indications average attendance rates are rising."

He also said some of the more able pupils are often unclear what they need to do to produce their best work.

But he was very impressed by the behaviour of pupils, and the way parents appreciate the care of the teaching staff, the well-supported after-school clubs, the way pupils are encouraged to be independent and in particular the school's emphasis on the expressive arts.

He added: "Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They treat one another with care and respect and their awareness of other cultures and societies is greatly enhanced by the school's UNESCO designation.

"Pupils enjoy opportunities to contribute to the life of the school and the wider community."