Forest & Sandridge Primary School rated ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted

Forest & Sandridge Church of England Primary School in Melksham has recently been rated ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted.

The primary school, which is part of The White Horse Federation, was praised for being a “happy and welcoming school where pupils flourish”.
The school was previously rated ‘Good’ in 2014, before it joined The White Horse Federation.

In the new report, inspectors highlighted that pupils “truly value their school and the education they receive”.

The “ethos of support and care” was praised by Ofsted as well as the “strong culture for learning”, which inspectors recognised as contributing to “pupils behaving impeccably well”.

The school has “high expectations” for what all pupils can achieve and pupils live up to these expectations.

Some of the many other highlights from the report include:

Praise for the “ambitious curriculum” which builds in regular opportunities for pupils to revisit and recall important knowledge and vocabulary.
Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly and accurately and make adaptations to help pupils with SEND.
The nurturing environment develops children’s independence and curiosity from the early years. Reading sits at the heart of the school’s work and the love of reading begins in the Nursery Year where children act out some of their favourite tales.
The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional and pupils enjoy positions of responsibility including as school councillors, house captains and sports ambassadors.
The school’s residential visits, open to all, support pupils to learn life skills and to engage in adventurous activities which help build their confidence.
The trust has developed strong leadership at all levels. The trust and school actively consider staff workload and well-being.
Staff value the high-quality professional development they receive and staff enjoy working at the school.

Scott James, Headteacher at Forest & Sandridge C.E. Primary School, said:

“We are very proud to have received an ‘Outstanding’ rating in all areas. This is a remarkable achievement and a true testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our entire school community including our amazing team of staff, brilliant children, invaluable governors and our supportive parents and carers.

“The report reflects our caring community and the high-quality education we provide which is all underpinned by our strong Christian vision and ethos. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our school is a place where all children can flourish.”

Simon Cowley, Director of Education at The White Horse Federation, said:

“We are very pleased that this report reflects Forest & Sandridge’s welcoming and inclusive culture and the high quality of education which pupils receive.

“This is a well deserved achievement and the whole school community should be very proud. We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues so that all pupils continue to thrive.”