Carrfield Academy celebrates Ofsted ‘Good’

++ CEO hails “phenomenal achievement” ++

++ Inspection Letter confirms a “good quality of education” ++

An academy that had been recognised as being in Special Measures prior to joining the Astrea Academy Trust is today celebrating a “Good” judgement from Ofsted.

Carrfield Primary Academy joined Astrea Academy Trust in January 2016. At the time, the DfE recognised that standards were so poor that the school was effectively in Special Measures.

Today, Ofsted publishes a letter following its most recent visit to check on progress, and concludes that the academy is “Good”. In particular, Ofsted notes that the Headteacher has led the academy through a period of turbulence, bringing about rapid improvements, notably:

• Joint working with Astrea to improve the quality of teaching and eradicating ineffective teaching;
• Improved pupils’ results across almost all indicators, including a 22% leap in reading, writing and mathematics;
• New systems and procedures resulting in improved pupil behaviour, better planned lessons, and more effective assessment of pupils’ work.

 

The letter also highlights the wide-range of extra-curricular clubs and activities that are now available to pupils, with a particular emphasis on trips that develop their subject knowledge, such as the Year 6 trip to France.

Ofsted also praises the academy’s work to increase parental involvement, including “inspire” mornings which inform parents about how their child will be taught and what support they can offer at home.

Andrew Crossley, Principal of Carrfield said: “We are delighted with the judgement from Ofsted. It’s an acknowledgement of the hard work and determination of staff, pupils and families to make Carrfield a fantastic community with learning and enjoyment at the centre of all we do.”

Libby Nicholas, Chief Executive of Astrea Academy Trust said: “Turning around a troubled school is no easy task – this is a phenomenal achievement to go from being recognised as in Special Measures to “Good” today. Most importantly though, the changes that have been made are beginning to bear fruit in terms of our promise to provide an education that inspires beyond measure. Today’s Ofsted judgement marks an important further step towards that – huge congratulations to Andrew Crossley and his team for all of their hard work.”

Astrea Academy Trust has 20 academies across the country, with 18 in the South Yorkshire area.