St Helena School in Colchester rated good by Ofsted

St Helena School, in Sheepen Road, has once again maintained its good rating following its latest Ofsted report.

The four-person inspection team rated the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and personal development as good, with the leadership and management given the top grade of outstanding.

The team, which visited the site over two days in January, said St Helena School is “a place where everyone wants the very best for pupils”.

The report added: “The school’s values of aspire, believe and achieve sit behind the decisions the school makes for everyone to succeed.

“Pupils value the warm and positive relationships they develop with their teachers. This helps them feel safe.”

Good - St Helena School (Image: Google)

Inspectors also noted how staff have “high expectations” of pupils’ behaviour and the attitudes they show towards their learning, which creates a “calm and purposeful atmosphere across the school”.

St Helena was labelled a school where “everyone is welcome”, with pupils described as “kind and respectful”.

The report was also full of praise for the “wide offer” of activities and opportunities for pupils and its “well-constructed, ambitious and varied” curriculum.

It added: “Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use this knowledge to teach the curriculum effectively.

“Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the help they need to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.”

On top of this, school leaders were lauded for identifying and improving previous weaker areas of the school, leading to “significant improvements” in the quality of education provided and in pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

"I'm very proud"

Head of school Charlie McCarthy said the report reflected the hard work of the entire school community.

“St Helena is a very special place where everyone wants the very best for our students,” he said.

“It was so good our visitors recognised the positive behaviour, attitudes and attendance of our students, the great teaching and learning they experience and the fantastic leadership at all levels that helps this to happen.

“We see all those things here every day.

“I’m very proud of all our students and staff and very grateful to parents, governors and the team at The Sigma Trust for their amazing support.”