THE headteacher at Ludlow Church of England School, Paula Hearle, has spoken of her pride at the report the school has received from Ofsted following an inspection that took place earlier this year.

Schools and education watchdog Ofsted inspectors visited the secondary school back in February and for the first time were using the rigorous, new Education Inspection Framework.

This makes the school’s continued ‘good’ rating even more satisfying for Mrs Hearle and her staff, especially when taking the ongoing management of a significant building programme into account.

“I am absolutely thrilled with the report,” said Mrs Hearle, who took over as head two years ago.

“To have maintained our status as a ‘good’ school while managing a new building programme clearly demonstrates the hard work being done by all my staff, especially when you consider this inspection was our first under the newly introduced framework.

“The inspectors found our school to be calm, orderly and harmonious, and spoke highly of the polite, courteous pupils, concluding that ‘poor behaviour is not tolerated’. The school’s ‘strong moral purpose’ was also praised, with the report stating that it ‘expands pupils’ horizons’ and ‘helps prepare them for future education, life in British society and the world of work’.

“Reading through the report I was humbled to read the comments that ‘school leaders strive to provide the high-quality education that we believe our pupils deserve and that we undoubtedly have our pupils’ ‘best interests at heart’.

“Crucially, the inspectors noted that the quality of education has improved in recent years and ‘keeps on getting better’, with outcomes improving rapidly.

“I am in no doubt that all the staff here put pupils’ safety and well-being at the forefront of their work, so to see this acknowledged by an external body is particularly pleasing.

“In our school community here at Ludlow I know we are blessed to have overwhelmingly positive parents and carers. Ofsted were particularly impressed by the volume of supportive comments shared on ‘Parent View’ - these comments mean a huge amount to all of us at the school and I’d like to thank all our parents and carers for their ongoing help and support.

“The success of our school has been built over time – with the attitudes to learning, the experiences in the classroom, and the commitment and ability of our team continually evolving and gathering strength since the last inspection.”

“While we are delighted with the report we have just received, we all know there is more work to do to get to where we truly want to be. Everyone here knows exactly where we are on our journey and, most importantly, what we now need to strive for to become the ‘outstanding’ rated school that is our long-term goal.”