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Praise for sixth form facing axe

Helen Johnson
30/ 3/2007

A SIXTH form under threat of closure has been praised for its effectiveness and efficiency by Ofsted.

There are proposals by Rochdale Council to axe post 16 education at St Cuthbert's RC High School to pave the way for a multi-million pound specialist A level centre in town.

But inspectors pointed out the good overall quality of teaching and learning and the students' positive attitude towards the school.

Headteacher John Wood hopes Ofsted's praise for the sixth form has a bearing on the final decision, due to be made by the Learning and Skills Council in May.

He said: "The decision lies in the hands of the LSC but we hope this very good report will encourage them to preserve and maintain the St Cuthbert's sixth form."

Overall the school was given excellent marks by the Ofsted inspectors, who described its spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as outstanding.

Out of 38 judgements made by Ofsted inspectors during their recent visit to the school, one was outstanding, 30 were good and seven were satisfactory.

In an open letter to students Lead inspector John Dunne said: "We judged that St Cuthbert's is a satisfactory school with a good sixth form. We were pleased to see that your standards of work and examination results have improved over the last three years, particularly in the sixth form.

"The leadership from Mr Wood and the senior staff is good. Your school is outstanding in the way that it gives you so many opportunities to understand the values of the Roman Catholic faith.

"It also teaches you well about becoming good citizens with good life skills."

Inspectors also found that standards are improving in all year groups and should continue to rise.

The report notes: "Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, the senior leadership team and the governing body have established a clear direction for the school and this shows there is good capacity to improve further."

It said the quality of care, support and guidance for students of all ages was good.

The inspectors acknowledged that the curriculum is becoming more flexible and inclusive.

The report highlights students' personal development and well-being, saying that they have good relationships with staff and each other, good behaviour around school and that they feel confident and safe in school.

Mr Wood said: "This is a very good report and a tribute to the effort and dedication of students, parents, staff and governors.

"During the inspection, we were proud to show the inspectors the improvements we have already made as well as the firm foundations we have for building an even better future."