Pupils’ education was not disrupted at a Derbyshire school which was split across two sites for almost six months due to RAAC, according to Ofsted.
Inspectors visited St Edward’s Catholic Academy, in Swadlincote, in January 2025 and said that the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. The school was previously judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.
In September 2023, Years 3 to 6 at St Edward’s had to move temporarily to their partner secondary school, Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary, in Burton, while pupils in nursery to Year Two remained at St Edward’s.
The move followed a Government announcement about issues in schools where Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) had been identified.
Pupils and staff were reunited back at St Edward’s in February 2024 after a mix of horizontal and vertical props were installed across the school.
The school has been placed on the Government’s School Rebuilding programme, which means that it has been deemed eligible to be added to a list of schools to have one or more blocks rebuilt or refurbished.
Ofsted inspectors said that leaders had successfully navigated a difficult period for the school.
“They have ensured that pupils’ education has not been disrupted and have continued to make improvements,” they said.
The school’s positive culture was highlighted, along with pupils’ behaviour.
The report said: “This is a caring school, where pupils are happy and safe. ‘The Edward’s Path’ defines the school’s family ethos. This is understood by pupils and acted on by all. Pupils speak proudly about the school virtues, ‘True Mind, True Heart and True Spirit’. They appreciate how qualities such as friendship, citizenship and service, guide their journey through school. Pupils understand that these qualities help everyone in school to ‘live well’ and ‘be a good person’.
“The school’s positive culture encourages pupils to behave well. Pupils show kindness and love to each other and are clear that everyone is welcome.”
Inspectors said that the school has high expectations for all pupils and that pupils work hard and enjoy their learning.
“The school has made positive improvements to the quality of education for pupils. The curriculum is carefully sequenced, with progression from the early years and coherent links between subjects. High-quality books enhance subject content. Activities for pupils are relevant and interesting,” the report said.
According to the report, the school makes sure that staff subject knowledge is secure so they can teach the curriculum effectively.
“Children make a positive start in nursery, where staff support them to listen attentively. In reception, staff help children grasp letter sounds quickly. The school provides appropriate support to those pupils who need help with reading to keep up. Pupils, including children in the early years, achieve well,” inspectors said.
The school identifies and meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the report said. Arrangements for safeguarding were also said to be effective.
Classrooms were described as “studious” in the report, which also said that pupils show positive attitudes and concentrate well in class.
Headteacher Kay Methven said: “We are delighted that the report recognises the sustained improvements within St Edward’s, especially during the ongoing significant challenges regarding the building. The report celebrates our school and its ethos, highlighting the high quality of education provided and the pride pupils have in being part of our school and living out the virtues they are taught.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: “This report recognises the tremendous amount of work done by staff during what has been an incredibly challenging period for the school due to RAAC. We would like to thank staff for their dedication, pupils for adapting so well and parents and carers for their understanding. Congratulations to everyone at St Edward’s on this wonderful report.”
“This is a caring school, where pupils are happy and safe. ‘The Edward’s Path’ defines the school’s family ethos. This is understood by pupils and acted on by all,” Ofsted.
St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy has been graded Outstanding by Catholic schools’ inspectors.
The school, on Broadway, Derby, underwent its Catholic Schools Inspectorate inspection, which is the national framework for the inspection of Catholic schools, over two days in January 2025.
The overall quality of Catholic education provided by the school, Catholic life and mission, religious education and collective worship were all graded Outstanding.
Inspectors said: “Pupils enjoy coming to St Mary’s school and appreciate all that it has to offer. They are happy, confident and secure, relishing their environment close to nature, fully embracing the Catholic identity and mission of the school.”
The report said that Executive Headteacher Amanda Greaves had driven her vision for St Mary’s to outstanding outcomes, with an unremitting focus, through a difficult period in the school’s history.
“She (Mrs Greaves) has been fully supported by the commitment of the leadership team, staff and governors,” inspectors said.
St Mary’s original building, on Broadway, burnt down in October 2020 and pupils and staff were based at St James’ House, on Mansfield Road, Derby, from April 2021. They moved back to a new biophilic school – the UK’s first – on Broadway in December 2023.
Pupils’ behaviour was described as excellent and relationships between them “very good.”
Inspectors said: “Leaders ensure it (the curriculum) meets the needs of different groups of pupils, conscious of the diversity that exists. [Pupils] work with independence and sustained concentration, collaborating easily and productively with one another. They produce high quality work, that is well presented. They show an innate curiosity in their studies, and are actively engaged in their work.”
“They actively participate in the Catholic life of the school: they display understanding of their sense of worth, valued as made in the image and likeness of God. Pupils have an easy acceptance of each other,” the report said.
Understanding of the school’s mission statement was praised and the impact it has on the school community was highlighted.
Inspectors said: “The school mission statement, the mission prayer and the SPIRIT expectations have a significant impact within the school community: they are deeply rooted in the Word of God, and give clear expression to how the school must live out its daily activities. Staff commitment to the mission is absolute, and their enthusiasm and commitment to the Catholic mission is plain to see.”
The school’s welcoming culture was noted by inspectors who said: “A culture of welcome has been firmly established, embracing whoever comes to the school. The excellent behaviour of pupils is a result of the impact of the consistent modelling of staff members, significantly influencing relationships across the school. The pastoral care of pupils shows a concerted commitment to serve the most vulnerable, and this is outstanding.”
Amanda Greaves, Executive Headteacher, said: “I am delighted to share our pride in achieving an Outstanding grade from the Catholic Schools’ Inspectorate. This recognition is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and commitment of our staff, leadership team, and governors, all of whom have worked tirelessly to ensure our school provides the very best education and nurturing environment for our pupils.
“The report highlights our pupils’ happiness, confidence, and strong sense of belonging within the school community. It is especially rewarding to see our shared Catholic values and mission being embraced so fully by everyone at St Mary’s. As we continue to build on the incredible progress made in recent years, I am incredibly proud of what our school has achieved through strong partnerships with parents, the parish, Trust, Diocese and the wider community.
“Our focus on providing a curriculum that is inclusive and meets the needs of all pupils, alongside the strong pastoral care we offer, underpins everything we do at St Mary’s. We remain committed to ensuring our school is a place where everyone is welcome and every pupil can thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this success, and I look forward to seeing our school continue to flourish.”
An online event is being held for Catholic teachers who are currently working outside of Catholic education, please share with anyone you know who may be interested.
A midday supervisor received a special surprise as part of celebrations held to mark 40 years of working at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy.
Pat Limb was presented with a Manchester Tart, a dessert which she loves and remembers from her early days in the dinner hall but is no longer on the menu at the Kirk Hallam school.
Ilkeston-based Stacey’s Bakery heard about Pat’s love of Manchester Tart and made one especially for her.
David Stacey, Managing Director at Stacey’s Bakery, said: “Manchester Tart isn’t something we currently make at Stacey’s, but we were happy to have a go for Pat. 40 years as a dinner lady is quite something! The taste testing in the bakery was very positive so it’s a bake we might add to our repertoire.”
Pat initially joined Saint John Houghton to provide a week of cover for a staff member who was off ill but 40 years on she is still at the school, in Abbot Road.
She said: “The lady who was off sick never came back and I became a supervisor and then a senior supervisor. I had to do the rotas and deal with any problems and I was always in the dining hall when the children were eating.
“I’m still a midday supervisor now and I also work in the school office a bit too. Things have changed a lot, years ago we didn’t have the café that we have now. Children’s dinners were like a proper sit down meal and the food was very traditional. They would eat what they were given.
“I loved Manchester Tart, that was a nice dessert. They always used to save me a slab of that when we had a roast dinner. It was so lovely of Stacey’s Bakery to make one for me, it was delicious and brought back lots of good memories.”
Pat has seen generations of Ilkeston families go through Saint John Houghton and was a midday supervisor when lots of current staff attended the school.
She said: “I remember lots of members of staff when they came here as pupils and lots of the children’s parents, even a grandparent. I was a midday supervisor when she came here.
“Sometimes when there used to be anyone misbehaving the other supervisors would tell the children ‘I’m sending for Pat’. I remember one child who went to the front of the dinner queue and I told him to go to the back. Years later I went into a bar in Ilkeston and he was in there and he shouted ‘Get to the back Pat’.
Memories that Pat recounts include a fire at the school in 1995 and an eight-hour sponsored walk from Saint John Houghton to The Briars, a Catholic youth retreat centre in Crich.
She said: “We had a fire at school in 1995 at night and it was quite bad. I organised a charity evening at a local social club and we raised £4,000 to replace lecterns on the stage in the hall that were burned.”
Pat said she can’t believe that 40 years has passed so quickly and has no plans to retire any time soon.
She said: “I keep thinking, where has the time gone? This school is like a family and everyone is so friendly, sometimes it feels like I’ll be here until I’m 90!”
Steve Brogan, Headteacher, said: “We are so pleased and proud to celebrate Pat’s 40 years with us as a school and during that time, she has served in a number of roles with us. There are very few of us, especially in 2025 who will serve one single place of work for that amount of time, but that is exactly what Pat has achieved.
“We recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of our school and it is amazing to think that Pat has worked in our school for two-thirds of the time our school has been opened. She has been an incredible servant to our school, and we are so lucky to have people like Pat who serve our school and our students with such dedication and commitment.”
Pictured left to right: Sarah from Stacey’s Bakery with Pat and the Manchester Tart.
A teenager has won an award after putting her first aid skills into practice to help a teammate who collapsed while on a Duke of Edinburgh scheme expedition.
Bethan Jenkins, 16, a student at Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy in Burton, was with five fellow police cadets in Bakewell when one of them collapsed.
The group was aiming to achieve the DofE Bronze award, part of which requires participants to complete an unaccompanied expedition in the countryside following a series of training sessions. Leaders are on hand via mobile phones in case of emergencies.
During the expedition, one of the six girls started to feel unwell before dropping to the floor and falling unconscious. Her teammates then used first aid skills they had learnt during their police cadet training, including first aid and rehearsing protocols for emergencies.
Bethan said: “Our friend who collapsed had a bag on her back so we took that off her, we made sure her head was raised and we checked her pulse which felt like it was racing. We tried to help her gain consciousness by splashing water on her. She was burning up but she was also freezing and her lips were turning blue. We lay a jacket on her. I kept thinking of the worst that could happen and running through what we needed to do, so thinking about whether we might end up having to do CPR. Some members of our group were also very upset.
“We tried to bring her around but then when we realised she wasn’t getting any better we got our phones, which are usually locked away in our bags as we are on a DofE expedition. One of the girls called our leader to tell them what had happened. We had to go an app that tells you where you are because we were a bit lost. The mountain rescue team came out and we were taken to our camp and the girl who collapsed was taken to hospital by air ambulance. She was ok, it was something to do with her heart and she was undergoing more tests. I think we did quite well coping with what happened.”
The girls made the decision to continue with the expedition the next day and gained their Bronze Award. As well as the expedition, participants also have to complete fitness, volunteering and skills tasks.
The group’s fast actions have now been recognised as they received a DofE All Stars of the Year Award at Buckingham Palace.
Bethan said: “I was completely shocked when I found out we would be getting an award. We were excited when we found out we would be going to Buckingham Palace and that was nice, we got a certificate.”
Amanda Mcdowall, Head of Year 11 at Blessed Robert Sutton, said: “ I am so proud to have Beth in our year group. She is an amazing young lady and a real asset to our school community. It is no surprise that she acted as quickly and as bravely as she did as Beth has always shown great initiative. I know that she is going to go on and be extremely successful and continue to have such a positive impact on the community and those around her.”
Samuel Gray, Headteacher at Blessed Robert Sutton, said: “Taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh award is a challenge that is worth celebrating. What Bethan and her friends did is even more impressive, using their skills and initiative to help a friend in need. Everyone at Blessed Robert Sutton is incredibly proud of Bethan and everyone else involved.”
A Derby primary school has installed an emergency allergy protection kit to support pupils and staff.
The kit, produced by Kitt Medical, contains two junior adrenaline pens – EpiPens – and two adult EpiPens and has been installed at St Alban’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Chaddesden.
All staff have been trained on how to use the kit. Three members of staff at St Alban’s have a severe allergy, including Headteacher Tim Brogan who is allergic to nuts.
He said: “Twenty per cent of our staff body have an allergy and we have a number of pupils with allergies. They have their own EpiPens and care plans in school so the kit is designed to be a failsafe. We do have a number of events that parents attend and visitors who come into school and obviously we don’t know whether they have allergies or not. So it’s about the allergies which are known and those that are unknown and this kit will allow us to respond at pace if we need to.
“We’ve installed it close to our school hall where children eat their dinner. Setting up the kit and the training, which is online, has been really simple. All of our staff have been trained to use the kit, we know that every member of staff can support if required. I can see these kits becoming like defibrillators.”
St Alban’s will receive a yearly supply of adrenaline pens to be stored in the accessible wall mounted emergency ‘Kitt’. All staff also get access to Kitt’s online CPD accredited training course, to help increase awareness of allergic conditions and preparedness to treat anaphylaxis.
Since launching in January 2023, Kitt Medical has partnered with 550 schools, with 700 Kitts in schools, and 15,000 staff members trained.
Zak Marks, co-founder and CEO of Kitt Medical, said: “I’ve lived with severe allergies for as long as I can remember and have always found it to be a burden. Whether it’s not knowing where/what I can eat, being scared I could have an allergic reaction, or just always having to carry two adrenaline pens on me at all times, it unfortunately creates a daily inconvenience – one which I wanted to try and solve. I’m so excited that we’re now creating a new standard for allergy care with schools and academies across the UK.”
Anaphlaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. It can occur within seconds or minutes after exposure to an allergen, such as certain foods or insect stings. During anaphylaxis, the immune system releases chemicals that can cause the body to go into shock, leading to symptoms like swelling, hives, and difficulty breathing. Immediate treatment with an epinephrine injector is crucial.
EpiPens work by rapidly injecting a dose of epipinephrine (also called adrenaline), which reverses the effects of anaphylaxis.
Headteacher Tim Brogan with pupils, showing them the emergency allergy protection kit that has been installed at St Alban’s.
An upcoming band delivered an important mental health message to pupils at St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy in Buxton.
Absnt Mind performed for the whole school and discussed their own journeys through school and how young people should not be afraid to talk about how they feel.
Kerry Taylor, Head of Learning for Year 7 and 8, organised the band’s performance at St Thomas More.
She said: “Having Absnt Mind come and perform was a wonderful and enriching experience for our students. The band were very talented, the students loved their music and the staff too!
“As well as performing, the band took time to discuss their own journeys through school and delivered the message that it’s OK to be your authentic self, work hard – put the games down and get to bed and talk to people if you feel something is not quite right. Hearing young boys willingly discuss mental health and the importance of sharing worries was great to combat some of the significant issues with teenagers today. It was wonderful to be able to arrange something that all of our students could experience and gain so much from.
“For our students to be able to see young people working hard to achieve their dreams and see that success isn’t something that happens overnight will be something that will inspire them beyond their years with us at school.
“The band were a great example for our students, to aspire to be more for our world, using their talent to spread important messages to our young people. I’d like to thank our fantastic PTA, FOSTM, who volunteer so much of their time to raise money and provide opportunities such as this one for our school and students. “
Iris, in Year 7, said: “I really enjoyed the music, the cover of I love you, I’m sorry by Gracie Abrams especially – and the message it carried. I think that their talk was extremely moving and could give a lot of confidence to people in high school especially. I would love to see their performance again.”
Cleona, in Year 10, said: “I enjoyed having Absnt Mind in school. I loved seeing how talented they were and knowing they were only a couple of years older than us makes you feel like we could be part of a band like them when we are older. They gave us positive, inspiring messages and hearing them talk about their own experiences in life when they were younger and what they regret, really gets you thinking. They sang really well and had a good variety of songs plus they sang some covers.”
Logan, in Year 8, said: “They were very cool, brilliant and fantastic. Their music brightened my day and I loved the messages.”
David Redfern, Headteacher at St Thomas More, said: “We were thrilled to welcome Absnt Mind to our school. Their talent, energy, and openness provided an inspiring experience for our students, not only through their music but also their heartfelt message about mental health and resilience. At St Thomas More, we believe in fostering a supportive environment where students feel encouraged to be authentic, work hard, and reach out for help when they need it. The band’s visit reinforced these values beautifully, and we are immensely grateful for their time and efforts to make a lasting impact on our school community.”
Every pupil at Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy sent a birthday card to a 103-year-old following a public appeal.
More than 120 cards were taken by a group of pupils from the school, in New Mills, to Watford Care Home resident Mabel White. The school also recorded all pupils singing happy birthday to Mabel.
Following a public appeal on Facebook and the Buxton Advertiser, Mabel received over 1,700 cards from countries across the world, including the cards from Saint Mary’s.
Pupil Alfie said: “We were told in assembly about Mabel and that she was a 103-year-old who didn’t have any family and that she would like some birthday cards so we all made one and took them to her at the care home.”
“It made feel happy that we were helping Mabel and hopefully we made her feel happy too. We all felt a bit sad when we were told that she didn’t have any family and might not get any birthday cards,” pupil Eva said.
Pupil Lexie said: “We are always thinking about Catholic Social Teaching principles and that means helping charities and helping the homeless so helping those in need.
“We all recorded a happy birthday message for Mabel so that came from the whole school and then some of us brought the cards and flowers to the care home.
“This links to one of our Catholic Social Teaching principles about family and community. That is because Mabel doesn’t have any family and we wanted to show her that she is part of a bigger family.”
Patricia Chapman, Headteacher at Saint Mary’s CVA, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be part of this wonderful occasion. We are part of a family and a community and as a Catholic school we continually strive to help others. We always support those most in need and instill in all our pupils the right to respect human dignity. This may only be a small act of kindness, but it means a lot to Mabel and our pupils.”
Twelve pupils from St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy will have their poems published in a book that will be sold across the UK.
Forty-six pupils from Years 7 to 9 at the Buxton school entered the Young Writers’ Poetry Competition ‘Be Real in a Fake World’ and 12 pupils had their work selected for publication.
Amy Shaw, Head of English at St Thomas More, said she was thrilled that so many pupils entered the competition and that 12 will have their work published.
She said: “We promoted the competition in lessons and offered to support pupils with their application. We’ve had a lot of in-house competitions previously but this is the first national one that we’ve entered. We had over 46 applications which was great and it’s fantastic to have 12 students selected to have their work published along with other children from across the country. A copy of the book will be in the British Library and the book will be available to buy.
“We are very proud of the pupils and we had a party to celebrate the winners. We try to do a lot to support pupils throughout the year, we are a busy department.”
Year 7 pupils Rhea and Faith were among the 12 pupils who had their work selected for publication.
Faith said: “I didn’t think I would be selected. I think we were both quite shocked when we found out that we had won, it was a bit overwhelming but in a good way.”
Rhea said: “My poem was about being you is enough. It’s exciting to think that our work will be published in a book; it’s something that I’ve always dreamed of.”
The school is now encouraging pupils to enter another Young Writers competition; to write a short story of no more than 100 words. The school also held a Harry Potter day in December and in January pupils will also be encouraged to take part in a Poetry by Heart competition, learning poetry and reciting it in front of an audience.
David Redfern, Headteacher said: “We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements in this national competition. Their success reflects the creativity, hard work, and passion for writing that we strive to nurture here at St Thomas More. Seeing their poems published is a wonderful recognition of their talent and dedication.”
Top photo: Some of the pupils celebrating their success.
Bottom photo: A pupil whose work will be published in the book.
Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy has been graded Good overall in its latest Catholic Schools Inspectorate (CSI) inspection.
Catholic life and mission, religious education and collective worship were all graded Good by inspectors following their visit in November 2024.
Headteacher Hazel Boyce said: “We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of our CSI. Having the quality of provision for Catholic Life and Mission and the leadership of Religious Education recognised as being outstanding is wonderful. Our pupils thrive here at Saint Benedict as a result of our school values and the dedication of staff and the CSI report captures this beautifully.”
Inspectors said that the Catholic life and mission of Saint Benedict CVA, in Derby, was known and lived through the school’s values of love, knowledge, integrity and belief.
“Students at Saint Benedict thrive within a strong community ethos and actively embrace the school’s identity in its everyday actions. The values of love, integrity and knowledge are embedded in school culture, shaping the character and development of every student and guiding daily interactions, which support the holistic growth of every student,” the report said.
Inspectors added: “Every student is made to feel valued and that they fully belong within the school through its truly inclusive nature. This forms the basis of the excellent pastoral care and dedication shown by leaders, teachers and support staff.”
The strong culture of diversity was highlighted by inspectors who said: “Leaders have the importance of community at the heart of their decision making and inclusion is considered in all areas of school.”
Leadership in religious education was described as “reflective and proactive” in seeking interventions to help all students flourish. Inspectors praised governors, saying they are highly skilled and actively engaged in the whole life of the school.
Inspectors said that a “profound sense of community” was evident within the school, reflected in the quality of relationships throughout.
“This supportive and loving environment embodies an unwavering commitment to uplifting the most vulnerable members of the school community. Pastoral care at Saint Benedict is exemplary and stands as a cornerstone of the school’s identity,” inspectors said.
Staff at all levels demonstrate exceptional dedication, consistently going above and beyond to nurture and care for their students, with a particular focus on those who are most vulnerable, according to the report.
