A Prestwich school is celebrating a positive outcome following its recent Ofsted inspection.
Inspectors from the education watchdog visited The Heys School, which is part of the Rowan Learning Trust, between June 25 to 26 this year, resulting in the achieving a "good" rating in all areas.
Published in July, the report commented that “trust leaders work closely with the school and those responsible for governance to ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education”.
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Sharing what it is like for pupils attending the school, the report said: “Pupils benefit from the calm atmosphere that permeates this friendly and welcoming school.
“Staff model how to talk with kindness and respect. This is reflected in how pupils talk to each other and to visitors.”
It became part of the Wigan-based Rowan Learning Trust, which also runs eight other schools, in June 2020.
It also praised the Hey Road school for being “knowledgeable” about identifying pupils who may have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
It added: “It puts in place effective strategies tailored to pupils’ additional needs. This helps pupils with SEND to learn well.”
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It comes after the school, formerly known as Prestwich Arts College, benefitted from a £1.5m makeover to transform its learning and wellbeing activities.
Inspectors added: "The school is committed to developing pupils’ love of reading. For example, pupils enjoy regular opportunities to read together as a class.
"Many pupils read out loud with confidence and fluency. The school has clear strategies in place to identify those pupils who find reading more difficult.
"Staff know the precise deficits in these pupils’ reading knowledge. This enables them to provide bespoke support which helps these pupils to catch up quickly with their peers."
However, the report did note some areas of improvement, included attendance.
It said: “Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.
“This means that they do not benefit from the high-quality curriculum or wider opportunities that the school offers.
“The school should ensure that it supports these pupils and their families to improve their rates of attendance over time.”
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Head teacher Paul McKendrick said: “Governors, staff and students are delighted with the report, which reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire school community.
“Inspectors praised the school’s commitment to developing pupils’ love of reading as well as the unwavering determination that no pupil should miss out on the many wider opportunities that the school offers.
“I am extremely proud in the school’s achievements and will use the positive inspection to continue to ensure that all students leave school as determined, kind and respectful members of the community while reaching for the school vision to maximise our potential, to be the best we can be, everyday.”
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