Top marks for school

Children from Red Marsh School celebrate their outstanding Ofsted report

Inspectors gave the highest rating to Red Marsh School, Thornton, after visiting the school, which caters for children aged from two to 19 with severe learning difficulties.

While many of the school’s 82 pupils have “complex learning and medical needs” and face challenges communicating, the inspectors noted they make both “rapid progress” and “outstanding achievements”.

And school bosses said they were particularly pleased with the inspectors observations that:

n Red Marsh School “has gone from strength to strength since its previous outstanding inspection.”

Inspectors said it is “an exceptionally successful school.”

n The report adds that Red Marsh is a “very happy school where staff and pupils all feel valued, respected and exceptionally well supported.”

It says as a result, pupils’ achievement is “outstanding.”

Headteacher Catherine Dellow said: “We’ve maintained our outstanding rating against a harder framework to achieve that.

“I’m immensely proud of my staff and pupils and support from the community, we have great team work and this is testament to that.

“We have a big team of staff who become very specialised in what they do.

“It was wonderful to read the report.

“It’s wonderful our children can be recognised for all the progress they make and their positive approach to life.”

The report also noted that teachers have “very high expectations of their pupils” and plan different and exciting activities.

It says that inspectors noted how sixth-form students in the further education department are prepared “exceptionally well” for life beyond school.

And the report said the quality of teaching in early years is outstanding.

Occasionally children make such rapid progress in early years that they transfer to mainstream primary school placements, it adds.

The school’s staff and  pupils celebrated the achievement with a party on the final day of half  term.