7:00am Wednesday 20th July 2011
By Matthew Edwards
PUPILS at Commonweal School are ending the year on a high after being judged as outstanding in its latest Ofsted report.
The school, which three years ago was given a grade of good with outstanding features, has seen an improvement under the guidance of headteacher Keith Defter and is now deemed outstanding .
The report found that 16 of the 22 areas judged were outstanding, with the rest being good, including attendance, which was only half a per cent from being outstanding as well.
The report said: “The school is outstanding because leaders have high expectations for all the students and systematically review all aspects of school life to improve the quality of education.
“As a result, students’ achievement and the care and support they receive are outstanding, as is the curriculum.
“The view expressed by a parent sums it up – ‘this is an excellent school’.”
Mr Defter said he was delighted with the report and is glad to have recognition of the hard work put in by staff and pupils over the past three years.
“The progress we have made in the last three years has been very big and it is nice to see that recognised in the Ofsted report,” he said.
“The reaction has been really positive and it is a really nice way to end the year.
Mari Williams, chairman of the board of governors, said: “The key has been the attention to achievement.
“The reaction in the staff room when it was announced was fantastic because all of their hard work had been recognised.”
One of the reasons behind the school’s success is its students who have worked hard to achieve top grades.
But they say they would not have done it without the help of the school and its teachers.
Keen dancer Georga Brown, 14, of Old Town, said she was shy when she first joined the school but thanks to the opportunity to dance she has come out of her shell and excelled.
“It’s been amazing , it was really exciting to come here,” said the teenager. I wasn’t very confident before I came here because I didn’t learn dance but now that opportunity here has really helped me.
“They allow you to use the facilities whenever you need which is really important.”
Evan Costello, 14, of Old Town, said: “We have been encouraged to achieve and the school has really helped me to make the most of all the opportunities it has given me.
“I started at the school three years ago when the school was last inspected and since then they have really helped me to grow.”
Carli Green, 14, of Eldene, said: “The school has been very supportive and we are pushed to achieve our best.
“The school provides a lot of opportunities outside of school which helps you to improve.”
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