Pupils and staff at St John’s CE Primary School are celebrating receiving an Outstanding Ofsted rating in all areas, following its recent inspection. The school maintained the highest possible rating with inspectors stating that “pupils receive an exceptional education, remarkable pastoral care” and “pupils’ behaviour is exemplary”.
St John’s is located on Dawson Lane in the heart of the Bierley and Holme Wood communities. It is also part of the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust which leads a family of schools across the region to deliver high quality education within the context of Christian belief and practice. The report highlighted that “the school has a clear vision based on Christian Values which are quietly and humbly lived through a common sense of duty and service”.
Inspectors praised the school as it “ensures that pupils learn within an exceptional environment. Creativity and success are evident everywhere.” The “expertly designed” curriculum was commended by inspectors for being “consistently and precisely implemented” where “checks on learning are extremely thorough”. Even more, “learning is systematically and skilfully sequenced to ensure that pupils know and remember more of the subjects that they study” resulting in pupils who “speak with authority about what they know and can do”.
Ofsted said that staff rightly describe the school as a place of “ambition, nourishment and love,” and “all staff share the same sense of moral purpose” and “strive for all pupils to “believe and succeed”. Further to this, the report highlighted that, “children are given an outstanding start to their education within the early years. Adults provide extraordinary support.”
Inspectors went on to describe that, “pupils take responsibility for each other,” and “benefit from remarkable pastoral care.” They found the approach to “pupils’ wider development is remarkable” and the “school provides considerable support for many of its families.” St John’s was described as a “front line service of the community where staff are trusted to support children to become well rounded individuals within their community”.
Further to this, the report states that, “the trust has provided effective governance and support.”
Andrew Knight, Headteacher at St John’s CE Primary School, said:
“The report is a testament to the dedication of everyone who makes St John’s CE Primary School such a special place. All our colleagues are proud to serve this incredible community. I am delighted that the inspection team recognised how well we know our children and their families which enables the whole team to provide bespoke education and support with an awareness of these needs. I was particularly proud when one of the inspectors explained that they had seen “true wisdom” in our approach to nurture our children’s personal development.”
Carol Dewhurst OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, said:
“St John’s stands out as a school which perfectly balances the need for academic rigour wrapped in pastoral love and care. This report reflects well a school which works tirelessly day in and day out to ensure every child receives a high-quality educational experience.”
To read the full Ofsted report click here.