We are pleased that “Pupils are proud to attend” our school and “feel safe in this small school community.” Ofsted have recognised that schools “Expectations for pupils’ achievements are increasingly high. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).“ which reflects our inclusive practice that we are very proud of at St Thomas’. “Staff identify and assess pupils with SEND effectively. Pupils with SEND are achieving more highly than they have done previously. They, too, are benefiting from leaders’ ongoing improvements to the curriculum.“

We are happy that our broad and balanced curriculum has been recognised as well as the emphasis we have placed on the importance of reading, Ofsted recognise we have an “increasingly ambitious curriculum for pupils. The school has successfully ensured that reading is a priority within the curriculum.“ and that “Leaders’ approach to teaching reading has changed for the better.”

The behaviour and attitudes of pupils has been captured “The school caters for pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn about different religions and faiths” and “The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, and staff manage pupils’ behaviour consistently well.”

The strength of our Early Years department is reflected in the report throughout “From the start, in early years, children foster warm, friendly relationships with the adults in school.”

We are proud that Ofsted identified what a great team we are at St Thomas’ and that the pupils are at the heart of all our decision making “Governors, leaders and staff form a cohesive team, which wants the best for pupils.”

The areas for improvement that have been identified were already on our school action plan, as you will be aware we have been working hard to improve reading and phonics throughout school and this will continue to remain a high priority. We are confident we will see the impact of our new approach to reading, the new phonics scheme and changes to assessment in the near future. 

Thank you for all the positive comments both online and directly to the inspection team “Parents said that the school supports them with relevant information about what their child is learning. They are positive about how well pupils behave.“ We look forward to continuing working in partnership with you and once again want to thank you for your continued support.