School now rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

When Ofsted inspectors visited Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in Thornhill Lees two years ago they found problems with teaching and reported that pupils were not making enough progress.

But a new report published this week showed that significant improvements had been made and the school now fell within the “good” category in all the areas assessed.

Headteacher Louise Warner said: “We’re very, very pleased. There has been so much time and effort put in my staff and children.

“Everyone has worked incredibly hard and the Ofsted report is just the icing on the cake.”

She said the new rating represented a team effort and praised the work of former headteacher Geoff Smith, who retired at the end of last school year.

The report said: “Staff morale is high and they are passionate about giving the pupils the best education possible.”

“Pupils very much enjoy school. The clubs, their experiences with trips, visitors, residential visits, information and communication technology, French, reading and sport are all particular favourites. Pupils say they want to learn new skills to help them in later life.

“Pupils’ behaviour is good and attitudes to learning are positive.

“Pupils get on well together and learn in a harmonious and calm environment.”

The report listed three aspects that the school needed to improve.

It said not all the teachers identified the gaps in children’s learning, pupils speaking English as a second language did not always have enough time to practice speaking and listening before completing writing task and some marking was not consistent across all subjects.