Horsham school gains top marks ... again

The rating has been awarded to Shipley Primary C of E School following a visit by an inspector from the Government’s Office for Standards in Education - Ofsted - who found the school had effective leadership and management, along with a good quality of teaching.

In an Ofsted report out this week, it states: “This is a good school,” and adds: “Following a period of turbulence, leaders and governors have successfully improved the school.”

The report praises headteacher Jen Harvey and adds: “Teaching has improved and is now more consistently effective.

“Pupils are excited by their learning and want to do well.

“Teachers set pupils challenging tasks,” but it adds that more checks needed to be made to establish whether pupils had embedded the knowledge and skills required to complete tasks well.

However, it concluded: “Better teaching has led to improved progress in reading, writing and mathematics.”

Headteacher Jen Harvey said: “The Ofsted inspector spent two days at Shipley, getting to know our school.

“The children showed what enthusiastic learners they are and how they relish the opportunities our diverse and exciting curriculum brings.

“Our beautiful rural environment is perfect for learning skills outdoors. Every child does Forest school, learning about science, conservation and the environment.

“The inspection report recognised the improvement in academic outcomes in 2018.

“Our experienced staff have the highest aspirations for pupils and work hard to create a positive learning atmosphere where children can flourish.

“The school has a very strong community ethos and supportive parents and governors.”

Chairman of the school governors Penny Middleton-Burn added: “We are really pleased that our commitment to constant improvement has been recognised, especially as schools are facing such challenging financial pressures.

“As the report captures, we strive and achieve a really broad and balanced curriculum helping our children to be the best that they can be.”