Lancaster primary school celebrates excellent report

Scotforth St Paul’s CE School achieved the accolade in a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) report following an inspector’s visit on November 16.

Although the school has been rated excellent by SIAMS before, standards were set even higher this year.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the report,” said Katie Walsh, who became headteacher in January.

The school was given a week’s notice of this year’s visit. An inspector spent a day talking to the children, staff, parents, governors and visiting classrooms.

The recently implemented wider curriculum, which explored themes such as injustice and how to care for the world, was praised. There was a new commitment to learning outdoors and an emphasis on Black History Month led to learning about justice and inclusion.

The report said that in some cases children had taken action to make a difference on issues they cared about.

Learning about food poverty led one child to volunteer at a local foodbank, while another pupil set up food parcels to help homeless people.

“The wider curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ character development and is inspiring some pupils to become agents of change,” the report said.

“I’m really pleased that the report showed how children here develop a strong sense of compassion and exceptional levels of care for one another,” said Mrs Walsh.

“We celebrate pupils from a range of cultures and faiths and whether they’re Christian or not, they are part of the school family and we learn, grow and flourish together.”

The ‘highly inclusive’ nature of the school was stressed in the report: “Leaders know the school and individuals within it well. Adults attest to the school’s transformative impact upon their lives. This is a school where every person is nurtured.”

Innovations included a ‘reading dog’ who listened to reluctant readers, developing their self-confidence, and more support for vulnerable pupils had been introduced in response to increased need. A learning mentor and play therapist had led to improvements in pupils’ social, emotional and mental health.

“We embrace the fact that everyone is different and learns in different ways and this isn’t a barrier to anyone in school,” said Mrs Walsh.