Pupils Scooter To Willowbank Primary School, Thanks to New Bike Rack

https://www.devonlive.com/news/local-news/students-scooter-school-thanks-new-3067453

Musbury Primary School Celebrate Good Ofsted Result

Pupils, parents, carers and staff at Musbury Primary School are delighted with the Ofsted Report, following the recent inspection of their school; where it was judged to be ‘Good’ in every aspect. The inspection highlighted that ‘teachers plan skillfully for the challenges of mixed age and mixed key-stage classes and this enables pupils to make strong progress across the curriculum’. ‘Teaching Assistants know the pupils well.  They motivate pupils well and instil a thirst for learning’.

‘The Trust has a strong influence on the work of the school.  There is a collegiate and determined approach to improvement.  Leaders are ambitious and make sure that their decisions ensure the full inclusion of all pupils’. The Ofsted Report praised the behaviour of pupils saying they are ‘well- mannered and caring’.

Head of Teaching and Learning, Tim Nield, said ‘I am incredibly proud of the children and staff, who thoroughly deserve this outcome. The children are a pleasure to teach and their kind and friendly nature made the inspector feel welcomed throughout his visit.  I would like to thank the staff for their dedication and professionalism and also the parents and community for their support of our school. 

Martin O’Mahony, Executive Head of Teaching and Learning at Musbury Primary School stated,

‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tim Nield and his team of dedicated staff who have been relentless in their aspirations for the school.   This report recognises their commitment to improving the progress and outcomes of all children whilst maintaining a broad and balanced curriculum.  The community of Musbury has a school they should be incredibly of!’

https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/inspectors-rate-it-good-on-all-fronts-1-6131437

Sidmouth Primary School Celebrate Recent Ofsted Inspection

Sidmouth Primary School have been judged 'Good' in all aspects following their recent Ofsted Inspection.

Claire Fegan, Head of Teaching & Learning at Sidmouth Primary School said

"I am so proud of the whole school community at Sidmouth Primary because everyone's hard work and commitment - pupils, staff and parents - is reflected in this report.  I am thrilled that the inspectors noted the strong team ethos at our school and recognised that the children are happy, safe and achieving well. We will continue to strive forwards, working on these areas for improvement, to make the school the very best it can be".

The Sidmouth Herald shared the good news - please follow the link to read the article.

Westcliff Primary Academy Celebrate Ofsted Result!

Pupils, parents, carers and staff at Westcliff Primary Academy (WPA) are delighted with the Ofsted Report, following the recent inspection of their school; where it was judged to be ‘Good’ in every aspect. The inspection highlighted that the leadership of the school have ‘drive, determination and ambition for all pupils’ and that teachers ‘plan a creative and exciting curriculum that interests pupils and ensures their full engagement in learning.’

Such has been the success of the pupils at Westcliff Primary Academy since becoming part of the First Federation Trust in February 2016, that pupils’ reading progress at Key Stage 2 was in the top 10% of schools nationally in 2018.  At the same time writing attainment at Key Stage 2 has improved significantly, and in 2018 compared well with the top 20% of schools nationally.  This is a tremendous achievement by children and staff. The Ofsted Report praised the behaviour of pupils, the effective contribution of Teaching Assistants and the ‘Team Feeling’ within the school and across the First Federation Trust.

Head of Teaching and Learning, Emma Lewry, said ‘On a personal level I would like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone involved with Westcliff Primary Academy. The dedicated, hard-working and professional team of teachers and support staff ensure that the best possible primary education is delivered to all our children.  I cannot thank them enough. In addition; the level of support we receive from parents/carers and members of the local community is greatly valued!’

Jackie Huntington, Executive Head of Teaching and Learning at Westcliff Primary Academy stated,

‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank Emma Lewry and all her team for what they have accomplished.  Emma is an exceptional leader who has worked with passion and determination to take the school from strength to strength.  I am also grateful to everyone employed at the school, who all play their part.  But even with such excellent leadership and dedicated staff, I know that this fantastic report would not be as complimentary without the tremendous amount of hard work over the past few years, from our children.  Well Done Westcliff Primary Academy!’

The DfE published its MAT performance tables for 2016-17 on 25 January 2018.

We were delighted to see that the First Federation Trust was:

• in the top 20 MAT nationally for progress in each of the three core subjects (Maths, Reading and Writing), and specifically the top three nationally for progress in Reading
• the highest performing Trust for progress in Devon and the second highest performing Trust in the South West. 

The DfE MAT performance tables for 2016-17 can be found here. 

A survey commissioned by a leadership development charity, Ambition School Leadership, looked at how well MATs performed in five areas: pupil progress at key stages 2 and 4, improvement in value-added over time, outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, whether schools are rated “inadequate”, and financial sustainability.

The research identified that the First Federation Trust is one of 13 trusts, out of the 402 studied, that were high performing in  at least two of the the following three areas - current performance, improvement and performance of disadvantaged pupils (November 2017).

Click here for the TES article.

Click here to access the Ambition School Leadership website and a link to the full research.

The First Federation Trust is included as an example of good practice in the guidance on good practice and expectations for growth published by the DfE for Multi Academy Trusts (December 2016).

'To help ensure that the great educationalists in First Federation can focus on making sure that teaching and learning are as good as it possibly can be, the trust has:
• redefined senior leadership roles; and
• created a back office function to perform vital administrative tasks, taking these away from school leaders.'

To find out more, please click here. 

Sir Michael Wilshaw, Head of Ofsted, has named the First Federation as one of the seven best performing MATs in the country (11 Oct 2016).

Click here for the TES article.

Click here for the full HMCI's monthly commentary. 

A study has shown has shown that, although many academies do not perform better than maintained schools, the First Federation Trust is the second highest performing primary academy trust / local authority in the country. (July 2016)

Click here for the report from BBC news.