Ofsted praises 'united school' in Shirebrook that 'pupils are proud to attend'

The Park Infant and Nursery, which has 218 youngsters, aged three to seven, on its books, has retained its ‘Good’ rating from the education watchdog after its latest inspection.

The rating applies not only overall, but also in all individual categories, which cover the quality of education, the behaviour and attitudes of pupils, the personal development of pupils, leadership and management, and early-years provision.

Ofsted hailed The Park as “a united school”, which “pupils are proud to attend” and where “staff are passionate to improve and feel well supported”.

The inspectors’ report said: “The school’s values encourage pupils to be confident in their learning and to not fear failure.

"It has high expectations for all pupils to achieve well, and they rise to these expectations, enjoying the challenges that teachers set for them. Pupils are resilient learners.

"As one parent stated: ‘the staff genuinely care about the children and give them good learning experiences’.”

Particular praise was reserved for The Park’s approach to reading. The report said: “Highly skilled staff ensure pupils learn to read from when they start school.” Daily checks on progress and “carefully chosen books” helped them to “develop into confident readers”.

The inspectors found that the school has “a calm and orderly feel”, with “well-established routines”. Pupils behaved well, and were “respectful, kind and polite”, looking out for one another and getting help when someone got upset.

They also benefited from “relevant and topical” personal development, “learning the importance of fundamental British values” and being “respectful of difference”. They enjoyed school trips to places such as Chatsworth House and Bolsover Castle, and relished taking on the roles of monitors.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were well supported and achieved well, while the early-years children “showed strong levels of independence” and “worked well together”. The early-years curriculum was well planned, with activities including in the outdoor forest school, which was “a treasured place to be”.

The only areas of improvement pinpointed by Ofsted concerned the way pupils build, and plug gaps in, their knowledge

The acting head teacher of The Park is Claire Bennett, while the governing body is chaired by Tracy Davis.