Burnley’s Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School rated good across the board by Ofsted inspectors

The school received a grading of good across the board from Ofsted after its visit in November with the lead inspector commenting on the ‘nurturing environment’ and ‘harmonious relationships between everyone in the school.’ This followed a glowing report from the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) earlier in the academic year which identified that ‘adaptive and tailored learning opportunities enable all pupils to access an enriching wider curriculum which supports pupils’ character development.’

Ofsted praised the school for its ‘high expectations of pupils’ academic success and ‘well-designed curriculum’ as well as developing its pupils into ‘caring and thoughtful citizens.’ The report said that most pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well and children in the early years are well prepared for key stage one and pupils in year six are ready for their secondary education.

Inspectors said that pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes and they enjoy the praise and rewards that they receive for behaving well and working hard. Pupils value the range of opportunities on offer beyond the academic curriculum and speak excitedly about visitors to school and the vast array of clubs on offer. Children in the early years, and pupils across the rest of the school, benefit from outdoor learning in the school woodland area. This helps pupils to learn more about the natural world and to develop their teamworking skills. The report said that the school ensures that pupils, including those most vulnerable, receive the support they need to thrive and pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and how to keep themselves physically healthy.

Ofsted said that the school has been through a period of ‘considerable change and uncertainty’ since it was last inspected, including the instability in staffing levels, but it had made astute appointments to ensure that staffing is settled and all are on board with the direction that has been set for further development. Inspectors said the school has successfully overhauled the quality of education that pupils receive and developed an ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum in most subjects from the early years to the end of key stage two.

The report said: “The school’s well-designed curriculum means that staff know what pupils need to learn and when this should happen. Staff have benefited from a wide range of curriculum training. This is evident in their subject knowledge and the way in which they present learning.”

Headteacher Maria Ellel described the glowing reports as a ‘milestone moment’ for the school adding: “The fact that we are now in a position where nearly every aspect of our school has been praised by Ofsted and SIAMS reflects the conscientiousness and amazing character of our children, staff and governing body, as well as the positive impact of the support provided by parents and carers for children within our school.

“ I am immensely proud to be headteacher at Wellfield and I am equally proud of the inspection outcome and the support of everyone within our amazing little community that makes Wellfield what it is.”