Ofsted Report

Current Ofsted Report, 2010

"I feel extremely proud and I am absolutely delighted with the outstanding judgement by Ofsted. We have all worked so hard to make Mary Rose School an outstanding place for pupils to learn and develop and the report is recognition of this.

I see this as confirmation and celebration of the hard work, commitment and teamwork of staff, pupils, families, governors and community partners resulting in the pupils making superb progress in both their learning and their personal development.

I am delighted also that the inspectors saw pupils really enjoying school stating that they not only feel safe and happy but also confident enough to make decisions and to take on leadership roles.

We began the Mary Rose journey 4 years ago when we amalgamated two very different special schools – two different groups of pupils, staff and families. For me the very positive comments about the excellent teaching, the extremely good teamwork in every class and the fact that parents are “overwhelmingly positive about the school” have special significance. Our aim since the last Ofsted inspection has been to move from “Good to Great” and I feel that we have indeed created and developed a great school that is an exciting place to learn and work in.

Needless to say we will not sit back and slow down, we are very aware that outstanding does not mean perfect, there are always things to work on and to get better at and there are likely to be plenty of challenges ahead with the changes being brought about by the new government. What we do have is a very solid base to move on from – we really can do anything!”

Alison Beane
Headteacher
Oct 1st 2010

Ofsted Report, 2007

Our first Ofsted Inspection Report to be carried out at the new school is available via a link to the tight of this page. The report was carried out on November 13th and 14th 2007 and I am really delighted with the outcome which describes us as being a good school with several outstanding features (several meaning quite a few)!

The report acknowledges and celebrates all the hard work and commitment of pupils, staff, governors, parents and partners as well as giving us pointers for ways to move forward as we progress and develop further.

There are a couple of points that need clarification:

On page 4 paragraph 2, the report states that pupils join the school with low levels of attainment – this is a standard phrase used for all special schools, acknowledging that our pupils have learning disabilities
On page 9, Appendix A under Achievement and Standards. The standards reached by learners is graded as a 4. This is a standard grade given to all special schools where pupils are working at low national curriculum levels and ‘P’ levels. Special Schools are in fact trying to get this changed because to people who are not used to these reports, it might make it appear that pupils’ are not reaching high standards -which is not the case.

All that aside I do hope that you enjoy reading the report and thank you once again for your support and for providing us with so many pupils who are keen to learn and who enjoy learning. If you have any questions do feel free to contact me...

Alison Beane
Headteacher