School '˜over the moon' after Ofsted praise

St John’s Catholic Primary, in Blackbridge Lane, underwent a two-day inspection in March and was rated ‘good’ overall, with pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare praised as ‘outstanding’.

In his report, lead inspector Bruce Waelend said the quality of teaching, learning and assessment at the school had improved “considerably”, the morale of staff was very high and the children were making good progress in reading, writing and maths.

That progress was reflected in the turnaround of Key Stage 2 results seen at the school. Mr Waeland reported that, at the end of 2016, pupils had made “very slow progress”, with the outcomes in writing and maths being much lower than the national average.

In 2017, however, progress in all three key areas “accelerated sharply” and the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading and maths was well above the national average. In addition, the numbers of pupils achieving the higher standard in maths and reading were “considerably higher” than those seen nationally.

He also praised St John’s as “a highly inclusive school where cultural diversity is celebrated” and added: "Mutually respectful relationships lie at the heart of this school."

Mr Waeland said the school had “flourished” under the leadership of headteacher Toria Bono, who took the helm in September 2016.

He said: “Her determined leadership and commitment to raise standards have resulted in substantial improvements across the school. Senior leaders are a strong and effective team.”

Mrs Bono said she and her team had worked “incredibly hard” and added: “At St John’s we believe that everyone has their part to play in nurturing and educating our children.

“We want all our children to be: successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve; confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives; responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society. Our children are our future and we take our future very seriously.”

Only a few points were highlighted for further improvement, and Mrs Bono said the pupils had “risen to the challenge and have been incredibly proud of the progress they have made”.

She added: “It is this desire to embrace a challenge that has enabled St John’s to make the progress it has in such a short space of time – the staff and children are wonderful and I couldn’t be prouder of my school.”