Ofsted praise for school's '˜swift and effective action' to improve

Amberley First School underwent a monitoring visit in April, having been told to improve in January 2016 – and inspector Mark Cole’s report was full of praise.

He said: “Leaders have taken swift and effective action in response to the findings from the previous inspection. Plans for improvement have the right priorities and are clear about what success will look like.”

Mr Cole noted that teaching improvements had helped children make better progress, which was reflected in last year’s SATs results when youngsters in Year 2 achieved at least as well as their peers nationally in reading, writing and maths. In addition, he said the attendance levels of all children had improved.

Headteacher Jon Gilbert said he was pleased his pupils’ achievements had been recognised.

Responding to advice from Mr Cole’s report, he added: “The staff and governors are now working hard to address [Ofsted’s] recommendation that leaders provide governors with even clearer information about pupils’ attendance and children’s progress in the early years.”

Mr Gilbert said it was “an exciting time” for Amberley, which is due to become a primary school in September, with building work commencing at the end of May. He added that an experienced teacher had already been recruited for that first class.

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