Ofsted praises Ribchester school
THE key to Ribchester St Wilfrid's CE Primary School's success is "the outstanding leadership provided by the headteacher and the first rate support provided by an excellent governing body".
So said Ofsted inspector Dave Byrne after his recent two-day inspection at the 84-pupil strong school.
Mr Byrne describes the overall effectiveness of St Wilfrid's and its foundation stage as 'good', finding the achievement and standards; personal development and well-being of pupils; the quality of teaching and learning; the care, guidance and support given to pupils and the leadership and management also to be 'good'.
He praises as 'outstanding' the work the school carries out in partnership with others to promote pupils' well-being; the children's behaviour; the effectiveness of the staff's use of challenging targets to raise standards and the extent to which governors and others discharge their responsibilities.
"This is a good school in which the pupils develop excellent attitudes and become mature, rounded individuals. It is at the heart of the local community with which it has close and beneficial links.
"It welcomes many members of the community into school and involves pupils in a variety of community events. Parents have high expectations of the school and the vast majority are supportive of all that it does. The 'Friends of the School' are very active and make a significant contribution to resources that benefit pupils' education," says Mr Byrne.
He tells the children: "You are fortunate to attend a good school which is very caring and gives you a good education. You make good progress and reach standards that are good in English, mathematics and science.
"Your behaviour is excellent and you take pride in helping others. I was very impressed by the way you have concerns about green issues and how you do your best to live safe and healthy lives."
But while he commends the children's efforts to raise funds for countries overseas, he says their knowledge and understanding of multicultural Britain is not as deep as it could be and he calls on the school to increase this awareness.
In his report Mr Byrne also recommends improvement of provision for the most able pupils and calls on St Wilfrid's to refine the curriculum so that links between the subjects are better exploited to make learning more relevant to pupils' lives and inspire their imaginations.
In his letter to pupils, Mr Byrne concludes: "You have a super headteacher who really cares for you all. She, together with the other staff and the governing body, are working hard to make sure you all get the best possible education. You are very much part of the school's success and I hope you continue to be the friendly and naturally thoughtful young people I met during my visit."
Commenting on the Ofsted report, Headteacher Mrs Cathy Thomas says: "The school has worked hard and made great progress since our last inspection four years ago and we were delighted to see this progress confirmed and praised by Ofsted.
"The excellent behaviour and relationships amongst our pupils were highlighted as well as the good teaching and above average standards. We also had a church school inspection at the same time which described our school as 'outstanding'.
"The village and whole school community can be proud of its school."
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Last Updated:
31 July 2008 11:42 AM
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Source:
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Location:
Longridge