Warren Mead Junior School Receives Good Ofsted Report

Staff and children at Warren Mead Junior School have been encouraged to keep up the good work following a visit by Ofsted.

The school was inspected at the end of May and the official verdict is that it “continues to be a good school”. It was praised for the enthusiasm of the students, the high levels of ambition among staff, and the all-round standard of behaviour.  

“Children are passionate about their school and learning. They love many aspects of school life,” the Ofsted report said. “Leaders are highly ambitious for every child. Children rise to the expectations that adults have of them.” 

The school’s teaching of maths was singled out for particular praise, as was the wide range of children’s literature available, “helping children make more adventurous choices for their own reading material.” 

Disruption in what the inspectors called a “calm and orderly” school was described as “very rare”, with an effective and well-observed simple rule structure in place, to be ready, respectful and safe. 

Recently, some Ukrainian children joined the school, a fact that was noted and commented upon positively by the inspectors. 

“Children care and respect others,” the report continued. “Children strive to do their best, for themselves, their friends and the wider community. Children are especially attentive to the needs of their new Ukrainian friends.” 

The report highlighted the recruitment of a new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) with expertise from the trust "has transformed the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities… parents have seen a sharp improvement in the school’s offer.” 

A major overhaul of school leadership since the inspectors’ last visit was observed to have “quickly halted any decline in standards”, and “new leaders are fast building up the trust of the parent community.” 

The new leadership team, under the guidance of Executive Headteacher Scott Maclean, has also built good staff morale. 

“(Staff) appreciate the support they get from leaders. There is a strong camaraderie amongst staff, who are united in ensuring that Warren Mead Junior goes from strength to strength.” 

Understandably, Mr Maclean was pleased with the report’s verdict on the school’s progress, saying "the report is recognition of all the hard work that staff have done to develop the school. It is amazing that the report provides recognition of this and how it is positively impacting on our school community."