Mount Pleasant Primary School is pleased to announce the results of its recent Ofsted inspection after being the first school in Shrewsbury to be inspected since the launch of Ofsted’s new framework.
This new framework saw the end of the single-word judgment and the introduction of a report card where schools are awarded grades on a 5-point scale. Following feedback from parents and education professionals, the 5 grades have been renamed ‘urgent improvement’, ‘needs attention’, ‘expected standard’, ‘strong standard’, and the new highest grade of ‘exceptional’.
Mount Pleasant was inspected during the first week in January and was recognised to be fulfilling the Expected Standard of education and care in the key areas of EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage), Inclusion, Behaviour and Attendance, and Leadership and Governance. It was also delighted to achieve the Strong Standard classification for its personal development and well-being.
In awarding the expected standard, Ofsted recognised the positive experience that children encounter from the very start of their school journey. From the moment they begin in Early Years education, Ofsted praised the way the school’s curriculum teaches them to communicate and understand their emotions and develop physically. Inspectors were pleased with the school’s Darwin growth Curriculum, which prepares children for modern life in Britain.
Headteacher Alison Benge said: “The expected standard is a high one and shows that a school is doing everything that it should be, and we’re delighted that this has been recognised. This grade, and the superb outcome of strong standards for our personal development and well-being, is a credit to the exceptional hard work being carried out by our incredible employees.”
The Ofsted inspectors also recognised the consistent support that is in place across the school; from nurturing pupils and recognising where extra help may be needed, to supporting families to ensure children benefit from good attendance. Staff are not only helped and encouraged to develop their careers, but consistently in their day-to-day workloads, and in their overall wellbeing. Inspectors could see how this embedded culture of support has led to calm, orderly and respectful behaviour across the school.
Although the inspection identified two areas in the Needs Attention category, Teaching and Curriculum and Achievement, the school had already identified these and had been busy putting plans in place to address them for development.
Ms Benge continued: “we see our report card like an MOT; if a car doesn’t quite meet the requirements, improvements must be made and reassessed before it can pass. In the same way, schools will need to make improvements in certain areas before being reassessed and the report cards are updated.”
The new framework means that schools with areas identified as needing improvement will receive additional monitoring inspections to ensure rapid changes are made; offering reassurance to parents and carers. School leaders at Mount Pleasant and Severn Bridges Multi Academy Trust see this as a positive: “We will welcome the monitoring inspections along with the associated support offered; having outlined these areas to the inspectors. We see their support as an opportunity to focus on developing and making improvements, which we hope will be systematically recognised,” said Andrew Morris, CEO of Severn Bridges MAT.
The Ofsted report card explained (video)
Severn Bridges Chair of Trustees Pat Wilcox said: “We are pleased that the commitment and hard work is being recognised at Mount Pleasant, and can see this every day as staff work tirelessly to make the school experiences the very best they can be for our children.”
