We are obliged to share our more recent Ofsted report with you, the overall judgement of which we wholeheartedly disagree with.
We have challenged the report but Ofsted have persisted in sticking to its toxic ‘overall category’ policy, which is at present the subject of a parliamentary enquiry following the tragic suicide of Head Teacher Ruth Perry.
We have rejected the historically inconsistent ‘inadequate’ label on the basis of our continued success in both numeracy and literacy as shown by our secondary school examination results. I have attached a copy of our results in this area which as you will see compare very favourably to the recent Government figures which declare 59% of primary school children are leaving school having attained the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Indeed, over our whole history we have no memory of any child completing their education at this school without being able to read or complete basic/simple arithmetic.
The judgement seems to have been based largely on the management of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) documentation and planning, and the claim that these children do not achieve. We have asked what achievements were measured during the inspection process and against what success criteria. These questions have not been answered, but I refer back to our outcomes at Year 6 which include all children,
Along with the changes we have made in transitioning within our Early Years, I am pleased that the behaviour, attitudes and personal development of our pupils has been recognised. The judgements in these areas, alongside our published outcomes we feel, lead to the questioning of the overall judgement we have received. In short, the Ofsted comment ‘there has been a decline in the school’s effectiveness’ is clearly false based on our published aims. We also reject the comment that ‘adults do not have sufficient subject knowledge’ since the staff has hardly changed since the last ‘good’ assessment.
We are therefore seeking both legal advice and support from our MP, to overturn what we consider to be both unjust and insulting to our school and its parents. We will keep you informed of subsequent progress.
We will be available from 2pm onwards this week, if any parent wishes to come in to school to discuss this further.
Yours Sincerely,
P. Shiels.
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