‘Opportunity’ school is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted
A DERBY school where a “high proportion” of pupils speak English as an additional language has been praised for its “broad and ambitious curriculum” by Ofsted inspectors and rated “good” for the second time in six years.
Bemrose School was visited by an inspection team in March and its newly-published report also noted that “staff are proud to work” at the Uttoxeter New Road school.
Executive head teacher Neil Wilkinson said he was delighted with the report, and thanked staff, parents, governors and pupils for their support.
He said: “We continually strive to give our pupils the best school experience possible here at The Bemrose School, and pride ourselves on offering not only a diverse and ambitious curriculum but also opportunities for the students to challenge themselves personally.
“I am delighted with the report. It reflects our unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience for every student, empowering them to thrive academically and socially.
“I am also delighted that the report mentions our commitment to staff development and that staff feel valued and supported. That’s important to us as a school.”
Bemrose School has 1,450 pupils on roll from ages three to post-16. As well as many pupils speaking English as an additional language, a large proportion of pupils join the school part way through the academic year.
We continually strive to give our pupils the best school experience possible.
The report flagged up that ‘the school supports these pupils to integrate into the school and continue their education very well’ and that, as a result, their needs are met and ‘nearly all pupils remain in education, employment or training when they leave the school. Pupils are very well prepared for their next steps.’
The inspectors also mentioned that the all-through school’s support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is “a strength” and praised its sport provision giving an example of how, in PE, pupils in key stage two master a lateral pass in rugby and go on to build on this in key stage three by taking part in small
Neil Wilkinson
team games. The school recently took a group of pupils to their firstever British Basketball League match and, next month, a team of 10 female basketball players will head to Downing Street for a lesson in the sport with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty.
The Bemrose School’s internal enhanced resource provision that is used to support pupils with special educational needs was given a special mention, as was the early years’ provision where children benefit from a ‘well-planned curriculum’ and children are encouraged to start to learn to read as soon as they arrive in the early years.
Mr Wilkinson added: “For me, the ethos at Bemrose School was summed up by one pupil who told inspectors that ‘this is a school where you can be yourself.’ I’m pleased that this was noted and that our continued effort has been recognised.”