Charters Ancaster outstanding Ofsted

Ofsted recently judged the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils as outstanding and overall claimed Charters Ancaster is providing a good quality of education.

Head Teacher Miriam Black said: "I was delighted with the Ofsted Report and very proud of the children.

"The report stated - Pupils enjoy, and are proud of, their school. As one boy said, 'It's about all the opportunities we have and how much we learn out of lessons as well as in them'."

Mrs Black praised and congratulated the highly dedicated team of staff who "all give so much" to make Charters Ancaster School and Nursery so special, highlighting the report's statement that: "Curricular provision is good; pupils are well motivated and make good progress overall as a result of good teaching. The school achieves its aims well, particularly with regard to creating a family atmosphere in which the pupils can enjoy their learning."

It was commented that "children appear to enjoy their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage very much and there is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities".

Further on in the school it's claimed: "Pupils are keen to learn and make good progress. High-ability pupils benefit from the flexibility in class groupings which allows them to work with older pupils where appropriate."

The report continued: "Parents are overwhelmingly pleased with what the school provides and there is a strong sense of family and community involvement."

Anne Duffy HMI, who led the inspection, said how much she enjoyed talking to the children and that they were a credit to the school.

"Every care is taken to provide each pupil with an opportunity to find something they can excel at. As a result, pupils' attendance and behaviour are good. They are well prepared for the next phase of their education. One prefect demonstrated a maturity of approach shown by many when she said, 'We're always improving; we learn by our mistakes.'"

The inspectors reinforced the importance of the environment for learning: "Careful display of pupils' work is evident throughout the school and this presents pupils with a rich and stimulating environment for learning." Subject areas at the school are well integrated: " links between subjects are effectively supported for example, traffic lights being made in design and technology link well with the study of electric conduction in science and to a computer programme being used in information and communication technology."

The inspectors noted: "Provision for physical, education, music and drama is strong and the teaching of French throughout the school adds to pupils' achievements."

Mr Per Thorkildsen, Chair of the Board, commented: "I am pleased that all of the hard work, effort and commitment to the pupils of the Charters Ancaster team has been acknowledged. The school is moving from strength to strength, many of our pupils leave gaining scholarships in a variety of subjects, but we are not sitting back and will be introducing years 7 & 8 from September 2010, including the common entrance exam . This is the final step in our strategy to offer a complete prep school education."

Full details of the OFSTED report are available on the school website www.chartersancaster.com .