Ofsted: how did we do?

The Ofsted report is finally out. As you know, an Ofsted HMI, Alison Colenso, visited Strand for two days in mid November. This was a ‘Section 8’ inspection, not a full Section 5. The purpose of a Section 8 is to confirm whether the school remains good. We’re pleased to say the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. You can read the report here. No new graded judgements are made in a section 8 inspection so the report is not a lengthy read. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the Ofsted questionnaire or talk to the inspector in person.

Our thanks also go to Alison Colenso (HMI) for finding the time to talk to us about the school’s strategic direction. The tightly defined inspection schedule can only ever offer a small snapshot of what goes on in a school but Alison shared her considerable insights and her positive view of our ambitious curriculum planning was great to hear. Now that we know our design is right, we have our fingers crossed for a bit of stability so that we can put our plans into action. Embedding the curriculum is the main priority in our programme of school improvement and this fits perfectly with the next steps identified by Ofsted.