Lessons in bridge building, morse code using electrical currents, and communicating via cans were all on the timetable at a Glossop primary school as part of British Science Week.
Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy welcomed 18 Year 8 students from partner secondary school St Philip Howard, who led science lessons working with pupils of all ages.
The Year 8 students planned and delivered the sessions, which included creating a magnet obstacle course and setting up a crime scene investigation.
The day was part of British Science Week- a 10-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths which takes place from 10-19 March 2023 and this year’s theme is connections.
Nicola Barry, science co-ordinator at Saint Mary’s, in Gladstone Street, thanked pupils and staff from St Philip Howard.
She said: “We thought this was an ideal opportunity to further strengthen our links with St Philip Howard as our partner secondary school.
“Their students came up with ideas for the day and planned them. They then led the sessions in classes with support from our staff. Our pupils worked in classes made up of different year groups and it’s been nice to see pupils of different ages working together.
“Our pupils have looked at bridge building, morse code, using magnets, can communication and they have absolutely loved it. Some of the St Philip Howard students used to be pupils here and it’s been lovely to see them again.”
Kadie, a Year 8 student at St Philip Howard, said she enjoyed working with pupils at Saint Mary’s.
She said: “I was in the sessions about morse code but there are different groups doing lots of different things. I volunteered to take part because I enjoy science and I like doing more practical experiments. I liked working with the children at Saint Mary’s; the day was amazing.”
Jane-Ann Birkitt, Joint Head of Science at St Philip Howard, in Sunlaws Street, said the day was a great experience for pupils from both schools.
She said: “The aim of the day was for our Year 8 students to practice their skills and share their enthusiasm for science with the pupils at Saint Mary’s and to look at how anybody can be a scientist.
“We wanted to show the Saint Mary’s pupils techniques and equipment that they might not get the opportunity to use in primary school.
“It was a great day and we were made to feel very welcome. It was lovely for some of our pupils, who used to go to Saint Mary’s, to come back and nice for the Saint Mary’s staff to see how they’ve developed.”
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Pupils enjoy attending Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, where ‘everyone looks after each other’ and leaders have high expectations, according to Ofsted inspectors.
Following an ungraded inspection in January 2023, Ofsted said that Saint Mary’s, in New Mills, continues to be a ‘Good’ school.
“Pupils enjoy attending this small, calm and productive school. They say that they feel safe and happy because everyone looks after each other. They try to follow the school’s ‘gospel values’. These values help pupils care for and respect each other. Pupils are polite and friendly towards staff and visitors,” inspectors said.
The report noted that parents and carers are supportive of the school and pupils are also very positive.
“One parent expressed the view of others when they said, ‘We love St Mary’s! It is a very welcoming, nurturing, family environment’. Pupils are also very positive about their school; they value it and like it. They know that there are trusted adults who will support them to learn and keep safe. Pupils appreciate the effort staff take to get to know them. Relationships are positive,” inspectors said.
Leaders have high expectations of what pupils should learn, the report said, and are passionate about providing an environment that prepares pupils to be ‘confident, happy citizens.”
“Staff are determined to give pupils lots of memorable experiences. They want pupils’ learning to be relevant and embedded in their community,” inspectors said.
Pupils were said to behave well in lessons and around the school and the report said that leaders have developed a very ambitious curriculum.
Inspectors said: “They (leaders) have ensured that the information pupils need to learn is well structured. This helps pupils to fill any gaps in their knowledge.
“Pupils are eager to learn. They take pride in their work and complete it to the best of their ability. Leaders have prioritised reading. They have found many creative ways to introduce pupils to different books and texts.”
Children in early years get off to a strong start and older ‘buddies’ help them to settle quickly into school, according to the report.
Inspectors said that leaders have systems in place to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
The report said that there is a strong focus on pupils’ broader development and they noted that the school is well led.
Arrangements for safeguarding were also found to be effective.
Patricia Chapman, Headteacher at Saint Mary’s, said: “We are absolutely delighted with our Ofsted report and the fact that the inspectors clearly highlighted the high expectations of what pupils should learn and the memorable experiences that pupils gain through a very ambitious curriculum.
“Thank you to all of our amazing staff who consistently demonstrate how dedicated they are in ensuring all pupils achieve their full potential at Saint Mary’s.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, said: “Congratulations to everyone at Saint Mary’s on their overwhelmingly positive Ofsted report. It was lovely to read inspectors’ comments, which reflect what a wonderful school Saint Mary’s is. Staff, governors, pupils and everyone connected to the school community should be very proud.”
Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy in Burton has been graded as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted.
The school is one of only three secondary schools in the country to move from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Outstanding’ under the new Ofsted framework.
Inspectors said that pupils are extremely proud to be part of this “highly ambitious school’ and that leaders have the highest expectations for pupils, who receive a “high quality” education.
The ‘Sutton Way’ was highlighted in the report, which focuses on academic excellence, spiritual development and social excellence and permeates throughout the school.
“Staff meet the needs of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, exceptionally well. Staff welcome pupils warmly into school each morning. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and respectful,” inspectors said.
The report said that pupils behave very well in lessons and around school and that they consistently exhibit the school’s values of kindness, love and respect.
“Pupils feel safe here. They know who to talk to if they have a concern. Poor behaviour and bullying are never tolerated. Pupils are highly focused in lessons and are keen to participate. They learn well because teaching is very effective. Teachers are highly knowledgeable. Pupils enjoy their lessons and are successful in many subjects,” inspectors said.
Headteacher Laura O’Leary was said to have brought about “phenomenal change” across the whole school since her appointment in 2019.
Inspectors, who visited the school in January 2023, said: “She and her senior team provide exceptional leadership. They lead by example, with sensitive and calm authority. They know what is best for their pupils.”
The curriculum at the school, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, was described as “very broad and ambitious”.
“The vast majority of pupils now study the suite of subjects that make up the English baccalaureate in key stage 4. Subject leaders have carefully planned the curriculum so that pupils can learn new knowledge in a highly structured way. Lessons are extremely well sequenced to ensure pupils build on what they have learned before. Teachers plan lessons exceptionally well,” inspectors said.
Pupils’ understanding is checked frequently so that “no child is left behind” and teachers use a range of effective strategies and high quality resources to ensure that almost all pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well, Ofsted said.
“Pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning. They fully concentrate in lessons and low-level disruptive behaviour is rare. Pupils attend school regularly and punctuality levels are very high for all pupils. They love coming to school,” inspectors said.
The school’s personal, social and health education programme was described as “highly effective” and inspectors said that leaders provide pupils with effective careers advice and guidance, meaning that they are very well prepared for their next steps by the end of Year 11.
Inspectors said that safeguarding arrangements at the school were effective and that governance was a real strength of the school. They also said that staff are extremely proud to work at Blessed Robert Sutton.
Miss O’Leary, Headteacher at Blessed Robert Sutton, said: “We have been on a mission to provide an excellent education for all of our wonderful students, which we have achieved with the support of our phenomenal, dedicated staff, the parents and carers of our students and governors.
“I am extremely proud of this report and the education we provide for all students at Robert Sutton. The outcome of this inspection is testament to the efforts of our entire school community, especially the hard work and positive attitude of our students and the commitment and service of our staff team.
“Given that the new inspection framework is much more rigorous and judgements harder to achieve, combined with the ongoing demands of the pandemic, it makes it even more pleasing that inspectors did not identify any areas for development.”
John Rimmer, Chair of Governors, said: “The Governors are incredibly proud of everything that has been achieved by the Headteacher, staff and pupils since the last inspection. It is a phenomenal achievement to produce such a big improvement in the performance of the school in such a short space of time.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive Officer of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted for the whole school community that the school has been graded as Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. It is an incredible achievement and we know how much hard work has gone into this from Miss O’Leary and all of the staff, governors and pupils. It is also fantastic news for Blessed Robert Sutton pupils who start their journey at partner schools in our Trust, St Edward’s and Holy Rosary. As a Trust we will continue to support Blessed Robert Sutton, to ensure that the school continues to go from strength to strength.”
St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby has been graded ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ features by Ofsted.
Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision at the school were all graded ‘Outstanding’ and the quality of education was graded ‘Good’.
The report said that the school’s mission is to unlock all pupils’ potential by “sharing God’s love and making a difference”. Inspectors reported that pupils are keen to play a positive role in their community and make a difference to themselves and others.
Pupils were praised throughout the report and inspectors said they lived up to teachers’ high expectations.
Inspectors said: “Pupils show kindness and respect to each other. Pupils’ behaviour and conduct is exemplary. In lessons they learn without distraction. They have confidence that teachers will keep them safe.”
The report said that following the fire, which destroyed the school building in 2020, leaders have expertly managed the school during an unprecedented period of challenge and despite tremendous difficulty, they have kept the school community together.
Inspectors said: “The library was destroyed in the school fire. All books were lost. Staff have been unwavering in their determination to ‘get books back in the hands of pupils’.”
Pupils’ behaviour was described as “exemplary” in the report and they have “excellent attitudes to learning.”
“Leaders have worked hard to make sure that pupils, particularly pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, receive the expert support that they need. Pupils with SEND achieve well in school.
“Pupils benefit from a thoughtfully planned and structured personal social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. The school promotes equality of opportunity and diversity effectively. The teaching of protected characteristics is a strength. There is celebration of the Catholic faith but also the culture and faith of others. This meets leaders’ ambition of ‘building mutual respect and tolerance’.”
It was noted that the curriculum is expertly planned. Pupils’ learning is carefully built upon what they know and understand and they often acquire new knowledge that they confidently understand.
“Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use assessment skilfully to check pupils’ understanding. The teaching of reading is a priority. There is a well-planned and sequenced phonics programme in place. Teachers quickly identify pupils who need extra help,” inspectors said.
Children in the early years have an outstanding start, according to the report.
It said: “They receive an ambitious curriculum taught by knowledgeable specialists. Children are completely engrossed in their learning. They understand routines well. They learn to be independent. Children are very well prepared for Year One.”
Ofsted said that staff at the school, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, have worked together as a strong team.
“They feel appreciated and supported. They are rightly proud of their achievements. They are proud to work at the school,” inspectors said.
St Mary’s ‘SPIRIT’ was also praised in the report along with pupils’ charity work. Inspectors said: “Countless activities take place to raise funds for local and national charities.
“Pupils describe St Mary’s as a family. Pupils from all faiths, families and cultures are welcome and celebrated. Leaders provide rich and meaningful ways to develop pupils’ personal development and character. St Mary’s ‘SPIRIT’ is central to this. Equality ambassadors promote fairness. The ‘circle of friends’ helps their peers to make and then sustain friendships.”
Arrangements for safeguarding at the school are effective and the positive relationships between staff, families and carers were highlighted.
Inspectors said: “Staff know children and their families and carers extremely well. The family liaison officer works tirelessly to ensure that positive relationships are built. Her work is helping to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils are in school, are safe and are learning. Staff are well trained. They know the actions needed to support the most vulnerable pupils. They are vigilant. They tenaciously ensure that pupils are safe within the temporary school.”
Amanda Greaves, Executive Headteacher, said: “We are delighted with the judgements made about key aspects of our school. Despite a challenging few years with the pandemic and the fire, the team has continued to ensure our pupils receive the best Catholic education possible. We have relentlessly strived to ensure the St Mary’s curriculum is tailored for our pupils, which was acknowledged in the report as being expertly planned, and this now needs to be embedded ‘securely and consistently’.
“We will take on board this area for improvement ensuring the curriculum is fully accessible for every learner in our thriving school. I am so incredibly proud of the school team and this achievement in the most challenging of circumstances, their dedication to our children and wider community shone through the report. Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our parents for supporting us on this journey and hope they too feel a sense of pride in their school and this wonderful achievement.”
Emma Farmer, Chair of Governors, said: “As a governing board, we are thrilled with the judgement that has been awarded and we would like to warmly congratulate and thank all those involved. It is richly deserved and is evidence of the enormous, ongoing commitment of all staff and pupils in our school community. Their drive in the most unique and challenging of circumstances has been phenomenal.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Greaves, Mrs Novak-Lemmings and their brilliant team for their continuing hard work and professionalism. It is testament to their ongoing dedication that our pupils are able to enjoy the very best school experience where ‘pupils from all faiths, families and cultures are welcome’ and where all our children can truly thrive. It is wonderful to be a part of a school community of which we can feel so proud.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive Officer of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: “It is testament to the drive and determination of Mrs Greaves and her team, to continue to provide the best education for all of the children, that has led to such a glowing Ofsted report.
“I was proud to hear inspectors talk about the ambition for all of the pupils and all of the disruption never being used as an excuse to offer anything other than the best education possible for our children. We can now look to an exciting future in a biophilic building and children continuing to receive a first rate education.”
St Mary’s is currently based at St James House, in Mansfield Road, Derby, and is expected to move to a new, innovative environmentally friendly school building in Broadway at the end of 2023.
Pupils and staff across our 25 schools joined in the World Book Day fun this year.
There were competitions, reading breakfasts, visits from poets and mysteries to solve.
At Saint Mary’s in New Mills there was a staged break in at school where all the reading books were stolen!
Headteacher Patricia Chapman said: “A policeman arrived(Mr Peter- our wonderful reading volunteer) with his invisible dog and talked to the children. The children had to complete an investigation and identify the mystery clues spread around the external school buildings. They then undertook writing a newspaper report about their findings. They spotted the book thief, ‘Burglar Bill’ (Mr Peter)later in the day running around outside school. Finally, the clues revealed his where abouts in our new reading shed.”
Parents can ‘weed while they wait’ for their children at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy when its new eco-garden dream becomes a reality.
A ‘flight path’ eco-garden is being created at the school, in Ilkeston, after the school secured £10,000 from East Midlands Airport’s eco-gardens project.
Work is due to start shortly on creating the garden and Headteacher Michael Sellors said everyone was excited to see it come to life.
He said: “The children and staff are looking forward to having an eco-garden where the children can grow their own vegetables and care for local wildlife. We will also have a “weed while you wait” space for parents collecting their children at the end of the day.”
The school is one of eight in the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust that was successful in bidding for the funds. The others are: English Martyrs’ in Long Eaton, St George’s, St Joseph’s and St John Fisher, all in Derby, Blessed Robert Sutton and Holy Rosary, in Burton and St Edward’s in Swadlincote.
Pupils who make up St Thomas’ Sustainability Squad have all been heavily involved in planning the garden.
Their design was inspired by the flight path maps that show the migration of ducks, geese and swans that visit the local nature reserve, Straws Bridge, and land on the school’s roof.
Gemma Shelbourne, a Teaching Assistant at St Thomas who oversees the Sustainability Squad, said: “Our pupils submitted a video where they talked about what we wanted in our eco-garden and that was part of our application. We wanted to bring wildlife in and the inspiration was the ducks that land on our school roof.
“We are all excited to see the plans become a reality. The children have been building bird feeders and bringing them in, they are really enthusiastic and they keep asking when the garden will be ready.”
It is hoped that work will start shortly on creating the garden and that it will be completed by the autumn.
Schools were asked by the airport to submit designs for gardens or green spaces that substantially boost biodiversity and lead to improved wellbeing.
The proposals were evaluated by a panel of experts which included representatives from the airport’s corporate social responsibility team, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the parks, green spaces and environmental management team at South Derbyshire District Council.
The submissions were assessed against several criteria. The designs needed to demonstrate how the gardens would make existing space environmentally richer and more diverse, improve biodiversity, stimulate outdoor learning, and have wellbeing benefits.
Jo Pettifer, Sustainability Project Co-ordinator for the St Ralph Sherwin CMAT, worked with schools on their garden proposals.
She said: “I am delighted that eight of our schools were successful in securing funds. The pupils have worked so hard, carrying out wildlife audits, planning their designs, discussing them with their teachers and filming presentations for the competition. I am so grateful that East Midlands Airport is rewarding all that hard work, what a triumph.”
A special visitor surprised pupils at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Matlock as part of a series of innovative workshops to bring books to life.
Lunar the dragon took centre stage in an assembly during which children listened to a mythical story and were invited to use their imaginations to think about what happened next.
Parents and staff also joined in the fun as children were invited to tickle Lunar under the chin and take part in a daring game, which involved dodging the dragon to get their hands on a book.
Following the first workshop, children in the school’s reception and nursery classes met a baby dragon and children in Years 4 and 5 made their own movie using green screen technology.
Josh Grace, 10, said the workshop was one of the best things he had experienced at Saint Joseph’s.
He said: “I loved it, my favourite bit was when we watched people trying to sneak past the dragon. It was something different to what we normally do and I don’t think many people would get to see a dragon in their whole lifetime. It’s something I won’t forget.”
Charlotte Angrave, 11, said: “It was great to see everyone so excited. My sister is in the nursery class and I think she would have really enjoyed it. I like reading and something like this really brings books to life.”
Stacey Carr, Headteacher at Saint Joseph’s, said: “Reading and writing is at the heart of the curriculum at Saint Joseph’s and inspiring children with a hook into learning is crucial. An experience like this and seeing the children’s faces is simply magical and something they will never forget. We are delighted to be able to give our children the opportunity to be creative and use digital technology to produce the best possible outcomes.”
The sessions were delivered by Teach Rex, which provides creative learning workshops with the power to ignite young minds and imaginations. Each session transports children to a world of dinosaurs, dragons and gorillas, enabling pupils to experience something truly magical.
Sam Bryan, a director at Teach Rex, said: “We believe in the power of storytelling in order to engage children in writing and reading. We use powerful hooks to ignite the children’s imaginations. We are all teachers, or have worked in education, so everything we do has an educational purpose that’s linked across the curriculum and aims to improve children’s learning outcomes.”
A ground-breaking ceremony and blessing has taken place at the site of the new building for St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby.
Pupils and staff from the school, the Bishop of Nottingham, local clergy, and representatives from the Diocese of Nottingham and the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust attended the event.
The new building is set to be the UK’s first biophilic school and is a pilot project for the Department for Education.
The biophilic design focuses on connecting those inside the building with nature, with the goal of promoting physical and mental health.
St Mary’s original building, in Broadway, was destroyed by fire in October 2020 and the school has been based at St James House in Mansfield Road, Derby, since April 2021.
It is hoped that children and staff will move into the new building by the end of 2023.
Amanda Greaves, Executive Headteacher at St Mary’s, said: “We are delighted to have reached this momentous milestone. The next phase is hugely exciting for us as a school community. We can not wait to see our new environmentally friendly school rise from the ashes and open to our children, staff and families.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in supporting us through the past 2 years; our parents, parishes, colleagues within the Trust, Diocese, Derby and beyond.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, said: “We are proud to be part of this project, which is in keeping with our mission as a group of Catholic schools, to live sustainably and care for the environment, and it’s wonderful that we can support this project.
“We know how much this means to the school community and we would like to thank the staff, pupils, families and everyone connected to the school who has supported them on this journey.”
Peter Giorgio, Director of Education for the Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service, said: “This is a joyful day for the community of St Mary’s and for our diocesan family of schools. After all of the challenges and difficulties, we can now all look forward in hope to the completion of our new St Mary’s.”
Tilbury Douglas, a leading UK building, infrastructure, engineering and fitout company, has been appointed as the main contractor for the project.
Simon Butler, Managing Director Building Central at Tilbury Douglas, said: “As the main contractor working on this innovative school, it was great to be able to mark such an important milestone as we officially start construction.”
Photos by Matthew Ling Photography.
St Anne’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Buxton is celebrating after being rated ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted.
The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision were all assessed as part of the two-day inspection.
Inspectors said: “Pupils enjoy learning at this school. Parents and carers, staff and pupils talk of an inclusive, family atmosphere. One parent, with a comment that was typical of many, said, ‘[The school has given their child] the best chance to be the best that they can be.’”
Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the report said.
Pupils’ behaviour was praised and inspectors said they behaved calmly in lessons.
They said: “They (pupils) are positive about their experience of school and describe learning as fun. Pupils enjoy being rewarded for following the school rules of ‘Be ready, be respectful, be safe’. Pupils say that they feel safe. They do not worry about bullying. They know they can talk to staff if they have any concerns, and that staff will help them. Pupils talk warmly of their relationships with staff.”
Pupils benefit from wider opportunities, inspectors said, highlighting gardening club, choir, multi-sports club, school council and pupil parliament.
The report said that leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum to help pupils develop their knowledge of the subjects they study.
Inspectors said: “Subject leaders have carefully organised what pupils will learn and when. They have created opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning. Pupils’ learning in Year One builds on the knowledge they develop in the Reception class.”
Teachers present key knowledge clearly to pupils, and staff in the Reception class skilfully help pupils to understand the world in which they live, the report said.
Inspectors said: “Teachers encourage pupils to become independent learners. They provide resources such as dictionaries, phonics folders and vocabulary books. When learning how to write in different styles, pupils use these resources before asking an adult for help. Leaders have prioritised reading.”
Staff are proud to work at St Anne’s, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, and leaders, governors and trustees work together to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.
There is a culture of vigilance to keep pupils safe and safeguarding arrangements are effective, the report said.
Julia Wiggins, Headteacher at St Anne’s, in Lightwood Road, said: “I’m delighted to share that, at our most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2022, we were judged Good in all areas and Good overall.
“This judgement validates the hard work, dedication, commitment and devotion of our whole team – our site team, office team, teaching team, governing body and the Catholic Multi Academy Trust of which we are part, St Ralph Sherwin.
“I want to thank everyone who has played a part in this successful outcome, in particular, our parents who have remained loyal to the school and, of course, our wonderful children. This is for all of us, here’s to the next chapter! #proudtobeStAnne’s.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: “We are delighted for everyone at St Anne’s. It is great to see that Ofsted has recognised all of the work that goes on every day at the school to ensure that pupils receive the very best education and care. Thank you to all of the staff, governors, pupils and families who make St Anne’s such a special place.”
