School told to improve by Ofsted

The school, in Rumbolds Close recently underwent a two-day inspection and, while parents were full of praise for the school and headteacher Fiona Sayce, inspector Bruce Waelend saw room for improvement.In his report, Mr Waelend recognised the “significant turbulence” the school had endured in recent years, with many staff changes and changes in pupil numbers. But he said: “Despite senior leaders’ determined efforts to steady the ship, standards have declined.”Mr Waelend said efforts to improve things had been limited “because senior leaders and governors have an overly positive view of the school” and had not “evaluated their work or the performance of the school thoroughly enough”. His report praised the behaviour of pupils in lessons and around school, stating: “They are kind, thoughtful and polite. They know that there is always an adult whom they can go to if they have a problem.”

He also noted pupils were starting to make better progress in phonics and that those in the early years were “taught well and provided with interesting learning opportunities so that they make good progress”.There was praise for the way leaders had ensured the wellbeing of pupils was “at the heart of the school and is central to everything it does”.In a message to parents, chairman of governors Suni Lowe described the report as “disappointing to those who work so tirelessly for the benefit of our pupils”. A spokesman for Rumboldswhyke added: “The staff and governors were already aware of the areas to improve and were addressing them prior to and during the inspection. The inspector made reference to these in his report and acknowledged that pupils are beginning to make progress in the areas highlighted. “Since the Ofsted outcome, parents have been given the opportunity to comment on the report and are overwhelmingly in support of the school and welcome the nurturing start the children get to their school life.”

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