Ofsted
Please see link below for a copy of our latest Ofsted Report
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Ofsted 2017
Students, staff and governors at The Bishop’s Stortford High School are celebrating the publication of their ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report this week, following their inspection in March.
Having been previously graded ‘Good’ in May 2013, TBSHS were this time judged to be ‘Outstanding’ in every category.
Several changes to the inspection framework in the last four years, mean it is widely considered that the bar for achieving an ‘Outstanding’ judgement has been raised considerably, making it an all the more impressive achievement, especially in light of the funding challenges that all schools currently face.
Headteacher, Dale Reeve, said “We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and the comments from the inspection team. It is great to have the recognition for all the hard work that has gone on at TBSHS from staff and students, with the excellent support of parents and governors, over many years. Everybody puts in so much time to provide the students with fantastic opportunities and outcomes and this is just reward for their efforts. Whilst we have made great strides since the previous inspection, we do appreciate the judgement does not mean we’re perfect and we’ll continue to reflect on how we can improve even further on the truly all-round education our students receive.”
Main pic caption:Mr Reeve, Mr Noble & Mr Gunn celebrate Ofsted Outstanding with TBSHS Students
“We do have high expectations of staff and students and work hard to maintain high standards across the school. Developing good attitudes to learning is crucial and is something, I think, we have done really well. Students are expected to behave well and engage in lessons and the Outstanding teaching they receive makes this much easier.”
“The inspectors recognised that as well as helping the students achieve very positive academic results, we also provide them with many enriching experiences that help prepare them for life beyond school. They were particularly impressed with the breadth and quality of our Photo: Mr Reeve, Mr Noble & Mr Gunn celebrate Outstanding
extra-curricular programme and the Ofsted result with students way students engage with it. To have
so many ringing endorsements from parents also reinforced their views, which is lovely.”
Chairman of Governors Alan Fordham added “Governors cannot praise enough the tremendous effort from the head teacher, senior leadership team, and all staff that have made this possible. The team are outstanding! ”
Some quotes from the report:
“The high-quality teaching in the school is typified by the exceptionally strong working relationships established between staff and pupils. These working relationships are well supported by teachers’ excellent subject knowledge. As a result, the well-matched combination makes a significant contribution to pupils’ progress and the calm, orderly learning environment which is a particular strength of the school. In their responses to the Ofsted survey, Parent View, parents spoke, for example, of, ‘incredibly conscientious staff who go above and beyond, to achieve not just the best results but also to enrich lives with dedication and inspiration.”
“Staff are unequivocally committed to, and successful in, developing the highly valued skills of initiative, confidence, teamwork, perseverance and empathy. Alongside a wide programme of drama, sporting and musical activity, the extra-curricular programme includes over 100 options each term. The schedule of school trips and visits is equally broad. All pupils, in all year groups follow a personal, social, health and economic curriculum. Participation in work experience is an expectation, both at key stage 4 and in the sixth form.”
“A love of reading is promoted very well alongside the whole-school literacy strategy. A high proportion of boys study English literature in key stage 4. They make strong progress in their GCSE English literature examinations in Year 11 and many secure the highest grades.”
“Pupils gain high-quality personal and social skills that make an outstanding contribution to their academic progress and life beyond school. As a result, they are excellent ambassadors for the school’s work and typically reflect its values in their conduct and demeanour. These values are embedded in the culture and ethos, the ‘spirit of the black and gold’, which is well promoted by staff at all levels.”
“Careers information, advice and guidance is of exceptionally high quality across the key stages, including in the sixth form. Post-16 choices are very well supported by access to a breadth of first-hand information, including representation from further and higher education institutions, employers and apprenticeships.”