Bridgnorth Endowed School rated 'good' for first time in 15 years
Students and staff at Bridgnorth Endowed School are celebrating after the school achieved a 'good' rating in its latest Ofsted report.
The positive report represents the end of a difficult chapter at the school, which was last rated as 'good' more than 15 years ago.
Inspectors visited the school after the Easter break and were impressed with the improvement in teaching since the previous inspection in March 2016.
Headteacher Barry Worth has made significant progress since arriving at the school last June,and Ofsted inspectors praised him, saying: “He has raised expectations for pupils’ conduct and their attitudes towards their work and for the quality of teaching.
“As a direct result, standards in the school are rising noticeably.”
Mr Worth, who ten years ago was head of the IT department at Oswestry's Marches School, said: “It’s been a great team effort.
“I have ambitious plans for the school but without the wholehearted commitment from staff, and pupils getting on board with all the changes, this would not have been possible.”
The report said pupils were making progress in English, maths and most other subjects.
Commenting on the environment at Bridgnorth Endowed, the report highlights that ‘safeguarding is a strength of the school’ and pupils themselves told inspectors that ‘bullying is very rare’ and ‘they feel entirely safe in school’.
The Ofsted inspectors went on to commend the school for its work to promote pupil development and welfare, citing the ‘high value placed on developing well-rounded young people who are respectful, polite and industrious’.
The school has undergone some dramatic changes over the past two terms, however the report said despite the rapidly-rising standards, "there is a significant legacy of underachievement in the sixth form."
Plans are now in place to work with Oldbury Wells School to offer a broader range of subjects for post-16 students.
Mr Worth said he was determined to work on areas of improvement highlighted by Ofsted inspectors, adding: “We are very excited about the future and continue the work to move onwards to being an outstanding school.
“I am incredibly proud of our pupils, their parents and our dedicated governors and members of staff who have all helped Ofsted inspectors to recognise that Bridgnorth Endowed School is a great place to receive an excellent education.
“We are very excited about the future and to continue the work to move onwards to outstanding.”
