Ofsted

Latest Ofsted Reports
St Ives School is the first secondary school in Cornwall to have achieved an ‘outstanding’ judgement on the new Ofsted inspection framework. The new, much tougher criteria were introduced in September 2015 and since then, no secondary school in Cornwall has achieved an ‘outstanding’ grade. Judged ‘Good’ overall, St Ives School achieved an ‘outstanding’ grade for Leadership and Management during the January inspection. All other sections of the inspection were judged to be good and the school is delighted to have achieved this recognition of the rapid improvement at the school since the previous inspection.

Headteacher, Jan Woodhouse said “Staff and Governors are delighted that the rapid and sustained improvement of the school has been recognised by Ofsted during their inspection. Across all areas of the report, the inspectors have praised the high quality of teaching, the good behaviour of our students and the exceptional care and support we provide. I am delighted that the wonderful work of our dedicated staff team, and the thriving school community they have created, have been recognised in this way. I would like to thank parents, the community, Governors and the Trust for supporting us through the tough times and for being such a key part in the school’s improvement and success”.

The Chair of Governors, Ms Jane Cashmore said “Everyone at the school is delighted with the very positive feedback from Ofsted. To have achieved this exceptionally strong endorsement from Ofsted is a fantastic achievement by the whole school community and especially the dedicated staff team who have worked so hard to raise standards and provide the very best education for children. We couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The school became an academy in 2014 when it joined with other local primaries to form the Truro and Penwith Academy Trust. The Trust was praised in the report for its “clear vision of supporting young people in Cornwall to achieve their potential” and for “harnessing” the support of Truro and Penwith College to achieve this. The College is also rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

The report recognises that “the school has improved markedly since it opened as an academy”, that “teachers are highly motivated and work together very well to ensure that their teaching is of a high quality” and that “pupils come to school with positive attitudes and engage well in their learning. They are considerate and tolerant”. Other highlights from the report include that “teaching is engaging pupils in thought-provoking tasks at a level which stretches and stimulates them”; that there is a “calm and orderly atmosphere across the school” and pupils are “friendly and good humoured” and are “keen to contribute in lessons” and that “English is a particular strength where pupils’ achievements rank in the top 10% of schools nationally.”