Headteacher delighted as Derbyshire school celebrates good Ofsted rating with outstanding elements

Behaviour and attitudes, personal development and sixth-form provision at Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School were rated ‘outstanding’ during the recent Ofsted inspection, while the quality of education as well as leadership and management, were named ‘good’.

Inspectors praised the school for creating a ‘calm and pleasant’ environment where pupils enjoy an ‘array of opportunities to learn about the wider world’.

In the report, inspectors said: “The school’s core value of ‘success with care’ is at the heart of everything it does. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school meets the needs of most pupils.

"Pupils are responsible, resilient and reflective learners. Behaviour at the school is exceptional. Relationships between staff and pupils are extremely positive. Pupils are respectful. Bullying is rare and is dealt with swiftly by leaders. As a result, pupils say that they feel safe and happy here.”

The school’s ‘broad and ambitious’ curriculum has also been highlighted in the report while personal development plans have been named very impressive. Teachers were praised for ‘strong’ subject knowledge and ‘effective feedback’ that makes the sixth-form provision a ‘real strength’ of the school.

Martyn Cooper, headteacher at Henry Fanshawe, said: “As a school community we are delighted with the positive Ofsted report that we received following our July inspection. With the implementation of a new, more challenging inspection framework and the tumultuous times of recent years with the pandemic and lasting impact of this, we are especially pleased with achieving a judgement of outstanding in a number of areas.

"It was great to see that Ofsted recognised that we have ‘a calm and pleasant school’ and that ‘success with care is at the heart’ of everything we do. We pride ourselves on the strength of our relationships, which were evident as being ‘extremely positive’ between staff and students.

"A tremendous number of people work incredibly hard to make the school a success and we are thrilled that their endeavours and commitment to Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School have achieved such a strong report. We continue with our hard work to sustain the standards and continue to provide the best possible educational experience for the children in our care.”