Notre Dame du Rosaire Catholic Primary School has been rated ‘Excellent’ and ‘Good’ by Ofsted following a recent inspection.
The ‘Personal Development and Welfare’ of the school’s pupils received the highest rating available while the ‘Quality for Education’, ‘Behaviour and Attitudes’, ‘Leadership and Management’ and ‘Early Years Provision’ were all rated ‘Good’ which is the second highest rating available.
Mary Robertshaw, Headteacher of Notre Dame du Rosaire Catholic Primary School, said she and the staff and school community are “absolutely thrilled with our latest inspection report”.
“It is a real credit to the hard work, care and love shown by our staff, pupils and families every single day,” she said.
“The real highlight for us is that our work in Personal Development and Welfare has once again been rated as Excellent. This means a great deal to us, as it reflects how our Catholic ethos and ‘Golden Values’ are truly lived out by our children. The inspectors saw first-hand that our pupils are kind, confident and rightly proud of their school.
“Although the inspection came earlier than expected, the report is a really positive affirmation of what we do. It recognises our ambitious curriculum and the high standards we set for every pupil. We are particularly pleased that the inspectors highlighted how inclusive our school is, and how we make sure every child is supported and encouraged to do their best from the moment they join us.
“I am incredibly proud of our team and our pupils for showing exactly what makes Notre Dame such a special place. We are already building on this to make sure we continue giving our children the very best start in life.”
In particular the Ofsted inspectors found that the school has an ‘inclusive and welcoming ethos’ that helps pupils to feel safe, high expectations of what pupils can achieve and an ‘ambitious curriculum’, and instils pupils with a ‘strong moral code’ so that they become caring, reflective and independent citizens who have developed a strong sense of character.
Notre Dame was also praised for ensuring that pupils with additional learning needs ‘are fully included in all aspects of school life’, and those with high levels of need benefit from bespoke support.
The school was described as offering pupils rich and varied opportunities, with pupils knowing they make a tangible difference to their school through a variety of leadership roles, such as eco warriors, prayer leaders and play leaders.
It also provides an extensive offer to develop pupils’ talents and interests, including music, drama and sports.
School leaders were praised for having a clear vision that unites staff in providing a high-quality education for pupils, with staff appreciating training to support the teaching of the curriculum, including through the States of Guernsey’s High Quality Inclusive Practice (HQIP) approach.
Where Notre Dame can improve, the Ofsted inspectors identified a need to close knowledge gaps so that pupils learn the curriculum securely in all subjects, and they said staff training and support should be strengthened in the early years sector.
Elizabeth Dene, Chair of the Notre Dame du Rosaire Catholic Primary School Board, said the Board is extremely proud.
“This is an excellent and very positive report that recognises the strength of the school’s values, leadership and inclusive nature. Notre Dame du Rosaire Catholic Primary School’s has done brilliantly and this demonstrates that the school’s development plan was effective and the school was progressing to achieve the highest standards of education for its pupils.
“The Board is extremely proud of Mary, and all the staff and pupils and their parents and carers for their achievements and remains committed to supporting the school as it continues to develop and improve.”
Nick Hynes, Director of Education, added: “This inspection outcome highlights the strong leadership and inclusive practice at Notre Dame du Rosaire, with significant acknowledgement of the strong inclusion of pupils with additional learning needs, as well as the ambitious curriculum for all learners. Congratulations to Mary, and all the staff and wider Notre Dame community.”