Students and staff at Sidmouth College are celebrating after the school was found to have met the ‘expected standard’ across all areas following a visit from Ofsted, with inspectors highlighting positive relationships, an ambitious curriculum and strong foundations for learning.
Ofsted inspectors visited the Primley Road school in March, which is part of the Ted Wragg Trust, to assess achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, along with post-16 provision
Ofsted now uses a new reporting system with a five-point scale rather than the previous single-word grades. ‘Expected standard’ is the new benchmark used to indicate a high performing school that is doing everything it should be
In their report, inspectors noted strong learning across the ambitious curriculum, stating that students “progress well through the curriculum”. At GCSE level, students were found to be building strong foundations in English and maths, with outcomes in these subjects “significantly above the national average”.
The wider school experience was also praised, with inspectors stating that students “have positive, respectful relationships with staff, who provide appropriate support and care”. They also highlighted the range of opportunities available, noting how extracurricular activities develop students’ talents and interests, such as sport, music or drama. These strengthen social and teamwork skills and “foster a feeling of belonging to the school”.
Leadership and governance were recognised as effective, with inspectors noting that leaders understand the school’s priorities and take appropriate action to drive improvement.
Post-16 provision was also noted as having improved, with students now achieving well and being better prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.
Other comments in the report included:
- Pupils feel safe and have trusted members of staff with whom they can share concerns
- Pupils generally have positive attitudes to learning and to the wider opportunities on offer
- Leaders ensure that teachers receive effective professional learning opportunities
- Pupils learn how to be positive members of the community through demonstrating kindness
Mr Alex Evans, Headteacher at Sidmouth College, said:
“We are delighted with this outcome and very grateful to our students, staff, families and wider school community for all their hard work and support.
“We are proud that Ofsted has recognised the many strengths across the college, particularly the positive relationships between staff and students, the ambition of our curriculum, and the strong foundations in place for learning.
“It is especially pleasing that inspectors highlighted the strong progress students make through the curriculum.
“While this provides a strong foundation, we remain ambitious for every student. We’re now focused on continuing to ensure our students love coming to school and strengthening consistency in the classroom, improving outcomes further, and making sure every young person benefits from high-quality teaching every day.”
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