STAFF and pupils at a Pershore school are celebrating after picking up a number of good' grades in their latest Ofsted report.

Inspectors have judged Abbey Park Middle School as 'satisfactory' overall but praised the school in a number of areas.

They said: "The school has some good features and is improving under the resolute and effective leadership of the headteacher, who is providing the school with a sense of purpose and clear direction."

The school was given 'satisfactory' ratings for overall effectiveness, achievement and standards, and teaching and learning. But it was deemed 'good' for personal development, curriculum, care and guidance and leadership and management.

Headteacher Lynn Evans said: "I am delighted that the Ofsted team recognise the caring and supportive climate of this friendly school. We believe our pupils make remarkable progress and wish that the data could reflect the full range of their achievements from Year 5 to Year 7.

"As one of our parents said, 'Abbey Park Middle School is one of Worcestershire's best kept secrets'."

The inspectors' report said: "Personal development is good and pupils thrive in the school's happy and friendly atmosphere. They are confident, articulate and polite. Behaviour is good and has improved as a consequence of teachers' better class management and the introduction of popular rewards for good behaviour.

"Pupils feel very safe in school. They enjoy all aspects of school, for instance meeting friends, their lessons and the many clubs and visits on offer as part of the good curriculum.

"They are keen to learn and try hard because their enthusiastic teachers provide interesting work that engages them well."

However, the inspectors said teachers at the school do not always plan work to match the learning needs of each pupil, especially those who are more able.

They said: "This means that some pupils are not sufficiently stretched by their work.

"There are many signs that teaching is improving. For example, teachers plan work that actively involves pupils in their learning by providing time for them to discuss ideas in pairs and to learn through trial and error."

As well as the staff and students, the inspectors also praised the governors.

They said: "Governors are very supportive and work hard on behalf of the school.

"They have a clear grasp of the quality of education the school provides."

THE REPORT:

STAR RATINGS:
Overall effectiveness: ** (of four)
Achievement: ** (of four)
Development: *** (of four)
Teaching: ** (of four)
Curriculum: *** (of four)
Care and support: *** (of four)
Leadership: *** (of four)

What the school does well:

  • The arts are a particular strength of the school and pupils make good progress in drama, dance and music.
  • The school makes good provision to help those who find learning a challenge. For example, the school provides expert support for pupils with speech impairment, autism and behaviour and other learning difficulties.
  • There is almost no bullying and pupils feel safe in the knowledge that the rare incidences that occur are quickly and effectively resolved.
  • The school works well with a wide range of external agencies to support pupils' welfare and education. For example, the staff have been given training by experts so that they can effectively support the learning of pupils with speech impairment.
  • The curriculum supports pupils' academic and personal development well. For example, assemblies provide effective opportunities for pupils to reflect on spiritual and moral matters.

What could be improved:

  • Improve the accuracy of pupils' sentence construction and the opportunities they have to write longer pieces of work.
  • Ensure teachers' planning matches the needs of different pupils so that work consistently challenges the more able.
  • Implement a more detailed analysis of assessment data. A small proportion of the schools whose effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section five inspection.