Elton High gets top marks from Ofsted (From Bury Times)

Elton High gets top marks from Ofsted

7:00am Friday 13th November 2009

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Elton High School is celebrating a glowing Ofsted report.

The official verdict from inspectors is that Elton is a good and improving school with outstanding features.

The Walshaw Road specialist arts college is the first secondary school in Bury to be inspected under the tough new Ofsted rules.

Staff, students and governors are delighted with the report, which graded all 24 areas as either good or outstanding.

Inspectors said that all groups of students make good progress and achieve good standards. Students love their school, have a real pride in it and have the highest regard for the adults who work with them. They also behave well and make an outstanding contribution to the school and the wider community.

Teaching was found to be “good” and “outstanding” with excellent relationships in the classroom. As one student said: “Our teachers make learning fun and we always feel safe in the school. Bullying and racism are not tolerated here.”

The report also found a high level of teamwork among staff who, with governors and students, share the same clarity of vision about how the school should develop.

Inspectors said that visiting the school was like going to an art gallery: students’ work adorns the walls and demonstrates the pride they and their teachers have in their achievements.

Additionally, Ofsted found that attainment, learning and progress have risen markedly since the last inspection, with GCSE results in 2009 the highest in the school’s history, and results for 2010 are on course to be even better.

The specialist status of the school continues to have a profound effect on students’ performance.

Sports and games are an important element of school life, while spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and a major strength of the school. Students are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for their future lives.

The extent and take-up of extra-curricular and enrichment activ-ities is a strong feature of the curriculum.

Parents cite the excellent way in which the school helps students in year 7 to settle down in their new surroundings and add that comm-unication between home and school is faultless.

Strong pastoral care and equality of opportunity for each individual lie at the heart of everything the school tries to do.

Inspectors also found that partnerships with outside agencies, other schools and further educ-ation institutions are outstanding. Governors have a thorough know-ledge of the school, are actively involved and provide effective support and rigorous challenge for the leadership.

Parents are overwhelmingly pos-itive about the school, its caring ethos and what it does for their sons and daughters.

The school’s headteacher Neil Scruton said: “Our whole school community is proud of what we have achieved, which has been recognised by Ofsted. Our aim now, which we can also achieve, is to be ‘outstanding’ in all aspects of our work.”

Report Card

Effectiveness of care, guidance and support: Outstanding Overall effectiveness: Good School’s capacity for sustained improvement: Good Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils: Good Quality of teaching: Good Effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement: Good

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