Staff, pupils, parents and Governors at Irthington Village School are celebrating this week after Ofsted Inspectors confirmed that the school is no longer in special measures.
Ofsted inspected the school in May 2005 and confirmed that weaknesses identified in the previous inspections have been addressed and the school is now providing an acceptable standard of education for its pupils. Inspectors said that the school has shown rapid improvement over the last year and is now well placed to make further improvement.
The main findings in the report are as follows:
1. Standards overall are reaching national expectations and are at times above them.
2. Teaching is consistently good and at sometimes very good.
3. Pupils attitudes and behaviour are good at Key Stage 1 and increasingly so at Key Stage 2.
4. The requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met and pupils benefit from an extensive range of social and cultural events and clubs, supported by both parents and staff.
5. All pupils with special educational needs have individual education plans with relevant actions and targets which are shared with parents.
6. The school's links with parents has improved and there are new initiatives in place for parents to become more involved in their child's education.
7. The governing body provides good support to the school.
Mary Alston, Headteacher of the school said:
"This is an excellent report which is a tribute to the hard work of all the school staff, the Governors, pupils and parents. The school is now in a very good position to build upon the achievements recognised by HMI."