St Mary the Virgin CofE VA Primary School was inspected by Ofsted in October and was judged to be a ‘Good’ school. We are very pleased with the Ofsted report and are delighted to share some of it with you.
Ofsted commented on the school’s curriculum, describing it as ‘rich, broad and exciting. It motivates pupils so that they enjoy attending school and learning’. We are very proud of the curriculum that we offer to our children, we have levels of engagement not only from our pupils but also their families too. We offer a wide variety of trips out and visitors into school together with many different clubs and activities. Family topic days are well attended where parents and carers learn alongside their children.
The report also noted that ‘teachers and other adults know the pupils well, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables them to build good relationships and motivates pupils to learn.’ The children at SMTV make good progress from their starting points. We are able to demonstrate that children in our school attain levels that are in line with national data and in many cases is higher than national.
While overall the school was graded as ‘Good’, the Early Years Foundation Stage was graded as ‘Outstanding’. This reflects the many changes that have been introduced into this part of the school.
The Nursery was moved from a portakabin into the heart of the school in January 2016. This means that the Nursery is now located next to our Reception Class and the two rooms work as a Foundation Stage Unit. Younger children are also able to see their siblings throughout the day and experience the day to day life of the school, this ensures a smooth transition into school when children take that next step in their educational journey. Our Nursery is led and managed by our Reception Class teachers, together they work closely with the nursery team to ensure all children get off to the very best start. ‘Teachers and leaders know the children exceptionally well. Their assessment information is accurate. They waste no time in getting children into purposeful, fun and engaging activities. They create interest and curiosity so that children across the early years are quickly gaining levels of independence’.
Where next for St Mary’s; our future challenges include ‘maintaining our high standards and a dedicated team in a time of rapidly declining budgets.’ As well as this we are already preparing for the school’s expansion when the Southern Extension is built. The school which currently has 198 children in the primary school and 42 children in the Nursery is expected to double in size.
It is an exciting challenge – continuing our Christian values and ethos and growing it as we expand.’
‘We welcome visits to our school and are taking names for our Nursery for September 2018’.
http://www.stmarygillingham.dorset.sch.uk/
01747 824446
