11 Jan 2024
Just over 10 years since Ofsted inspectors placed Nicholas Breakspear School into special measures, the school has completed a remarkable turnaround to receive an ‘Outstanding’ rating.
The inspectors scrutinised the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and sixth form provision at NBS and found all of them Outstanding.
The Ofsted report described the education received by pupils at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School as ‘exemplary’.
Comments included:
“All pupils are unwaveringly polite, kind, confident and thoughtful.”
“Pupils at Nicholas Breakspear School receive an exemplary education. They are cared for deeply by all school staff.”
“Pupils’ behaviour is a major strength of the school.”
“Staff’s expectations of pupils are very high, both academically and in their everyday school life.”
Inspectors spoke to more than 200 pupils, who spoke with a passion that led the inspectors to conclude that “personal development is threaded all the way through the school’s ethos”.
Headteacher Declan Linnane said: “I would like to thank the entire community for always giving their best – the reason we are all here working as hard as we do is so that our students can succeed spiritually, academically and in the wider world.
“We always say to students that the experience of an NBS education only really starts when they walk out of our doors and into their future lives. Our students leave with fantastic exam results, but they also have eloquence and leadership skills which will enable them to follow the NBS mission to build a better world. Our Ofsted Outstanding grading summarises that process, and I would like to thank the Ofsted Inspectors for giving us the recognition our community deserves.”
Back in December 2013, Ofsted inspectors said the achievement of pupils, quality of teaching and leadership and management at NBS required significant improvement, and rated it ‘inaqdequate’.
It followed the sudden retirement of former head Phil Jakszta in the summer. New executive head Clive Mathew – also head of John Henry Newman Catholic School in Stevenage – vowed to work relentlessly to ensure NBS moved out of special measures in the shortest possible time.
Declan Linnane took over as head in September 2014, and that November the school was taken out of special measures but said to still require improvement.
By July 2016 NBS was graded good, with inspectors finding the headteacher’s leadership ensured that the school and the wider community worked well together and his direction had led to widespread improvements.
Mr Linnane said at the time: “Not only are we one of the most improved schools in Hertfordshire, we have achieved this in record-breaking time. We are delighted as a community and we very proud in what we have achieved.”
The upward trajectory continued, and in 2022 inspectors said there was enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if they carried out an in-depth two-day assessment.
This inspection took place last November, with the results published this week.
In a letter to parents, Mr Linnane said the achievement was testament to the hard work, dedication, and unwavering support of the entire school community, referring to the hashtag #nbsproud, and the school’s mission statement to nurture and encourage every child’s talents and gifts to their full potential.
He wrote: “Over the past few years, our school has embarked on an incredible journey of growth and improvement, reflecting our determination and resilience to provide the best possible education for our children. This journey has been a collective effort, and it has reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that our community has a school of which we are incredibly #nbsproud… You should be immensely proud of this report as you have helped shape the content, and I invite you to reflect on the positive contribution you have made to the NBS community. Together, we have achieved an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, and we look forward to further enriching the lives of our students as we continue our exciting journey of learning, growth and fulfilling our mission.”
