We are delighted with the outcome of our latest inspection, which took place in November 2023. The inspection was a positive experience for the school. The inspectors complimented us on the quality of education at the school, and found that we are still a good school where “pupils enjoy their time and their learning.” They were complimentary about our curriculum, and the standards of teaching and learning at the school. In particular, we were delighted that they commented on how ambitious we are for every student, wanting them all to succeed, which is something at the heart of our ethos as a school.

One of the most pleasing things about the inspection is that the team agreed with our own evaluation of the quality of education at Little Heath. They looked closely at many aspects of our curriculum over the two days of the inspection, and found that our own internal judgements were correct. They were impressed that senior leaders, subject leaders, classroom teachers, members of support staff and, crucially, students all said the same sorts of things about our curriculum and standards of teaching and learning. Even in areas where we are not yet fully satisfied with the quality of provision (for example, with reading across the curriculum, which has improved hugely, but where there is still work to do with closing gaps for students affected by lockdown, especially for reluctant readers), the inspectors found that we had already identified the problem, and had plans in place to fix it.

All of this leaves us now in a great position as a school. The inspection team gave us lots of advice about how to improve things further, and we can now act on that guidance. They set us two targets. One about consistency of approach with teaching across the curriculum, especially in terms of how students learn and remember content. The second was to do with our Personal Development curriculum at Key Stage 4. We are looking forward to working in partnership with students and parents to make these further improvements.

It strikes me when reading the report letter from OFSTED, that it rightly places students at the heart of the judgements that were made during those two days of inspection. It really is an outcome for the students as much as for staff at the school. Students should be proud of what they achieve daily at Little Heath. That was very much reflected in the findings of the inspection. Students were brilliant ambassadors for the school over the two days, and a real credit to themselves and their families. Inspectors spoke warmly to us about their interactions with lots of students, inside and outside the classroom. 

Thank you for all your support as parents, both during the inspection and throughout the academic year. It is great to know that we have support of parents in what we are doing. We received some brilliantly positive messages during the inspection, through Parent View and directly to the school, and they made a big difference to us.

You can read the full Ofsted report here.