A rural Isle of Wight primary school — which has survived the threat of closure — has improved its Ofsted rating to ‘Good’ for the first time in almost 10 years.
Chillerton and Rookley Primary School, part of the Stenbury Federation, has been rated ‘Good’ by the education watchdog for the first time since 2013.
The smaller than average school was inspected last month and officials found pupils loved going to the ‘friendly and nurturing village school’, where they felt happy and safe. 1 of the school’s 21 pupils told Ofsted inspectors: “The best thing about this school is that everyone is friendly and will always help you.”
Inspectors noted leaders had created a culture of kindness and respect, where the relationship between pupils and staff is ‘highly positive’.
Leaders, inspectors said, aspire for all pupils, including those with special education needs or disabilities, and everyone had good opportunities to achieve their very best.
The broad and ambitious curriculum was praised as leaders had identified the key knowledge and skills pupils needed. While it worked well in some subjects, others were not so well developed. Inspectors found the sequence of learning did not enable pupils to connect ideas or remember what they have previously learnt, although leaders knew what they needed to do to improve.
Training has also been introduced for some subject leaders as they did not have a clear understanding of whether pupils were doing as well as they could.
Inspectors also noted the close working of leadership and governors to improve the school, saying they were united in wanting to achieve the best outcomes.
Mark Snow, headteacher, has said the school is very pleased with the result and he has thanked pupils and staff across the federation who have worked so hard for the outcome. Mr Snow has also offered his thanks to Isle of Wight Council officers whose support has been invaluable over the very turbulent time for the Stenbury Federation.
The school was last rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ in 2018. Since that inspection, Chillerton and Rookley faced amalgamating with its sister school in Godshill due to falling pupil numbers and rising costs. It would have meant the school would close.
The Isle of Wight Council decided against the action and is instead working on a strategy to help small rural schools stay open. It is expected to be unveiled in September.
A spokesperson from the campaign to save Chillerton and Rookley Primary School said they would like to congratulate everyone involved with the school for the result. They said it was an exceptional achievement against a backdrop of uncertainty and the outcome was something families at the school have known for some time. They said:
“This is an excellent platform on which the school can build and go from strength to strength.”
One expects the Councils strategy for keeping open country schooling with small numbers of pupils will resemble something like building endless houses in nearby fields.
Then advertising the new builds to mainland councils (for a fee) to take their ex tenants who have outbred all their available homes importing perhaps even non UK families who are known to have large families to add to our diversity of culture and can soon fill every school over a few decades as has happened elsewhere on the mainland.
So long as no top councillor or developer lives nearby, few places are safe now as both camps have private tuition anyway
I hope the council don’t intend to build huge estates or lots of affordable or social housing in the area just to ensure the schools are filled to the maximum.
Whilst it is nice to see village schools survive, the price of having course language and swearing in our younger classes, along with headlice and impetigo would be a price not worth paying imo.
Some areas need to be kept quaint and genteel for more sensitive classes children to learn and flourish.
Nothing wrong with social kept children, we all need labourers but horses for courses I say.
So nice to walk quite lanes uncluttered with fast food packets and beer tins.
A wonderful school with excellent teachers. So glad to see this result, very well deserved. Every child deserves to go to a school like this.