I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the governors, the head and all the staff at Langar C of E Primary school, to update you on the school’s progress since the parent feedback meeting in November 2022, following the publication of the last Ofsted report for the inspection carried out in July 2022.
First of all, over the past seven months, a tremendous amount of hard work has been put in by Mrs Brown and all the staff, over and above the normal day to day running of the school and teaching of your children, to make the changes identified in the difficult weeks following that July inspection.
After 16 years without an Ofsted inspection, it was important to recognise the systems and structures we had in place to be able to demonstrate the great qualities of our school, needed updating and improving. This remained the case despite the schools KS2 results being excellent when compared to other similar schools both nationally and locally.
With the help and guidance of teams from the Local Authority (LA) and the Diocese, Mrs Brown and her team developed a comprehensive school improvement plan (SIP) to address those areas where we recognised improvements were required. This involved changes or improvements to systems, training, governance and leadership and the curriculum, to ensure the school could continue to provide the very best primary education for your children in the safe and nurturing environment you have become accustomed to.
All of the work Mrs Brown and her team have put in, has paid off.
As you will be aware, Ofsted returned to carry out a monitoring visit on the 2nd and 3rd of March. Provisionally this was to check on the progress in the key area of Safeguarding. However, having found that to be effective, they were able to convert it to a full graded inspection of the school.
We are therefore delighted to announce that following an extremely thorough inspection, the school has been graded as follows:
Overall effectiveness : Good
The quality of education : Good
Behaviour and attitudes : Good
Personal development : Outstanding
Leadership and management : Good
Early years provision : Good
Given the previous Ofsted inspection grades from July last year, this is a tremendous result, achieved in a very short space of time.
The lead inspector was particularly impressed with the area of personal development for the pupils - “a real strength” of the school. This was demonstrated repeatedly in all meetings they had with pupils and staff, where the great attitudes and values we have all come to associate with Langar were fully recognised in this inspection.
The governors, Mrs Brown and all the staff would like to thank parents for the goodwill and messages of support they have had in the weeks and months since the last inspection. Given the very sad recent events surrounding one particular OFSTED inspection, it has meant a lot to know that Mrs Brown and her team had your support and would be given the time to make the changes needed to get this great result.
It is also important to pass on the praise your children received from the inspectors for the way they demonstrated the values and behaviours which are such a large part of Langar school.
Thank-you also to all those parents who put themselves forward to be considered as parent governors in November, whether successful or not. We have never had so many parents come forward wishing to be a part of the school governing body. The three new parents on the board of governors have been integral in demonstrating the school has the right balance of governance skills, particularly now with their education backgrounds, to help guide the school in the future.
Thanks also to all those who took part and voted in the parent governor elections at a difficult time for the school. The turnout was amazing.
But the work does not stop there.
Mrs Brown and her team are continuing to update the school improvement plan (SIP) with the lessons learnt in this latest inspection. These will be shared with you in the coming months.
Should you have any questions about this or the previous inspection, we will be happy to answer them. The governing body are developing plans for regular communications to update you on how the school is governed and more about the role of governors for those who have an interest in the future.
Finally, I would once again, like to thank the Head, Mrs Brown, and all of her staff, for the way in which they have got on with the job of making the changes required to deliver this result.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Swallow
Chair of Governors
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