17 Jan 2024
A primary school is celebrating after being rated as Outstanding across all areas following its first Ofsted report in more than 16 years.
Fleetville Infant and Nursery School, based in Royal Road and under the headship of Jen Gardner, was visited by inspectors on December 14-15 last year.
Their report, which was released this week, gave the school an Outstanding rating in terms of the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.
Inspectors praised the school for its high quality curriculum and the excellent subject knowledge of staff.
Their report said: “An exceptionally positive atmosphere threads through all aspects of school life.
“Pupils treat each other with the utmost respect and kindness. All pupils and staff bring the school values, ‘the 4Bs’ [Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Kind and Be Safe], to life. Rewards motivate pupils to work hard. In class, pupils are eager to learn and do their best. Personalised, high-quality, emotional support is in place for any pupil who finds managing their emotions tricky…
“Across the curriculum, pupils of all needs and abilities progress and achieve exceptionally well… Staff spot any pupil who has fallen behind and act swiftly to help them catch up with their peers.
“The school’s values are the backbone of school life. The school ensures that all staff know and use the most effective techniques to support pupils to behave well. Staff nurture pupils to enable them to become resilient, independent individuals.”
Matt Shute and Rich Davies, co-chairs of the Local School Committee [their team of governors], said: “This is an incredible endorsement and something that we feel extremely proud of as a school. Nationally, only a small minority of the schools previously judged as Outstanding have maintained this top rating under the new inspection framework, which helps reinforce just what a special achievement this is.
“This achievement reflects the dedication, determination and diligent work of our staff, the support of our parents, and the hard work of our children. We would also like to highlight the amazing work that Mrs Gardner has done during her time leading the school, taking it from strength to strength across every dimension. We count ourselves as extremely fortunate to have such strong leadership, as well as such incredible teaching and non-teaching staff across the school.
“We are immensely proud of the entire Fleetville Infant and Nursery School community and look forward to continuing to provide an exceptional education for our children.”
Headteacher Jen Gardner added: “It is such a privilege to lead Fleetville Infant and Nursery School and to work with such a skilled, dedicated, and reflective team, and together we have created an incredibly positive and nurturing learning environment for the children. It is also an extremely supportive and rewarding working environment for staff.
“Fleetville Infant and Nursery School is part of the Spiral Partnership Trust, who have supported the school in our approach to continuous improvement in numerous ways, including developing leaders and supporting teacher professional development. Inspectors were impressed with the high quality of governance from our Local School Committee and the Board of Trustees. Our parents and local Fleetville community also play a vital role in the success of the school and their support has been overwhelming. “We are all delighted with the outcome!”
Marcus Cooper, chief executive of Spiral Partnership Trust, added: “I am proud of all of our schools and this excellent result reflects the hard work and dedication of Mrs Gardner and her staff and of local school committee members, to ensuring every child at the school has the very best possible start to their education.”
If you are a prospective parent and would like to visit the school, please visit the website admissions page https://www.fleetvilleinfants.herts.sch.uk/admissions-policies/ or call 01727 519221.
