St Joseph's Catholic Academy has been awarded a 'Good' rating by Ofsted after huge improvements have been made across the school. The Academy in Hebburn, that is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust was inspected at the start of the academic year and the findings have now been published.
The lead inspector from the recent examination, Graham Findlay talked about the vast development that has been made to the Academy.
"Leaders have improved the school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from studying an ambitious curriculum and from having dedicated lessons that help them to develop as individuals. The school experience, built around a strong Catholic ethos, prepares pupils and students well for their future", he said in the report.
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The secondary school on Mill Lane has 1,310 pupils with 181 of those in the school's sixth form. The inspectors collected the views of pupils, staff and parents and all three groups are reported to feel very positive about the school experience. The inspectors also looked deeper into key departments and observed lessons as part of the inspection.
They described lessons as having a "settled atmosphere and students seem to be feeling safe and comfortable". They went on to report on the "ambitious and well designed curriculum at the school which develops and deepens pupil's knowledge of the subjects that they study and is adapted well for students with special educational needs and disabilities."
Ofsted also said that teachers have a good knowledge of their subject areas and staff have been trained well by the leaders at the school. Headteacher Peter Mitchell has spoken about the hard work that has been put into improving the school in this way.
"The report’s findings are a true reflection of the school, demonstrating the progress that has been made since the previous inspection. The significant improvements that have been made are a direct result of the hard work of the whole community of St Joseph’s including staff, pupils, parents, governors and the wider trust network."
"There has been a lot of time and effort put in to increase the quality of CPD (continuous professional development) for our staff, and the quality of lessons and education for students, whilst maintaining behaviour standards and expectations."
"The previous Ofsted inspection gave us the platform to work from, recognising that a lot of changes had started but more needed to happen; we needed the time to embed the changes to leadership and school systems, which had just been implemented prior to the inspection. We are now in a position where an Ofsted ‘Good’ rating is a true reflection of St Joseph’s."
Deputy Headteacher Suzanne Lewis-Dale added, "The report showed the care staff provide both academically and pastorally for our pupils, with our Catholic faith at the centre of all we do. We have changed the culture of expectations so the cultural norm is that pupils are purposeful and engaged and staff have high expectations. We are pleased that the inspectors picked up on the diversity and inclusiveness of the community at St Joseph’s."
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