Hotel put up for sale after closure announcement

Assistant head teacher Nigel Tate, who has been working closely with WCSQM on the project, said: “This is a fantastic accolade for us and demonstrates our commitment to enriching the lives of each and every pupils who attends St Giles School. It’s been a real team effort.

“While Ofsted measures what each school in England does to develop its pupils, the WCSQM goes one step further and assesses

THE owners of a castle hotel in Derbyshire have revealed plans to put it up for sale following its sudden closure.

Bosses of the Willerseley Castle Hotel in Cromford announced this week they had “taken the difficult decision” not to reopen the venue following the coronavirus lockdown.

Built in the late 18th century, the picturesque venue overlooks the River Derwent and Matlock Bath on the edge of the Peak District National Park.

It was built for inventor and industrialist Sir Richard Arkwright.

The listed building is set in 60 acres of private grounds and has its own swimming pool. The site has 43 bedrooms.

Since announcing its permanent closure, the owner, Methodist Guilds Holidays Limited, has now announced its intention to sell the

whether this has worked. It’s childfocused and, for our school, the framework is very different.

“We submitted video content and scrapbooks to the WCSQM assessors to demonstrate all of the ways in which St Giles School helps its pupils to achieve.

“This included a case study of two siblings, Louie and Alfie, one who is at the start of their schooling, in reception, and one who is preparing

to enter his final year. We were able to show they progress they have made and the boys gave their opinion on school and various lessons using two different forms of communication, verbal and visual, using a communication board.

“Louie told assessors how much he enjoys our school assemblies, swimming lessons and his time at forest school, saying ‘I like making

Willersley Castle Hotel bird houses at forest school’, which was nice to hear.

“We also gave evidence of our pupils developing independence and of our collaboration with mainstream schools and organisations in our community. This included a video of the school council’s charity day earlier this year, where we raised money for Rainbows Hospice.”

The application process is rigorous and each school that applies for the WCSQM has to meet strict criteria, which includes celebrating diversity and creativity and preparing pupils for the wider world.

Executive head teacher Clive Lawrence said: “St Giles School wanted to really engage with the World Class organisation and to maintain high standards. We wanted to ensure that we didn’t become complacent after becoming Ofstedrated ‘outstanding’.

“The WCSQM focuses on what the school does for its pupils and shines a light on the celebrations and achievements of our children.”

Miranda Perry, director of WCSQM, added: “The challenges of the last few months have proved that the World Class skills and competencies of our students, the recognition of which is the point of our organisation, are what really matter.”