How do you rate this information / service?

Staff, pupils, governors and parents at Dean C of E school near Cockermouth are celebrating after being praised by OFSTED as a good school providing a good education. 

OFSTED said that the school is well led and managed.  Teaching and learning are good, and especially effective in the younger classes where learning is engaging and fun.  The report points to an 'outstanding quality of care' at the school, and identified 'a renewed commitment to give all pupils an equal chance to achieve their best.'

Inspectors, who visited the school in February, acknowledged that the school has recently gained ground and direction under the successful leadership of the acting headteacher Caroline Howard, and the newly appointed headteacher Nick Fish.  They noted that strong governance, outstanding teamwork and hugely supportive parents have maintained the strengths of the school and made substantial improvements.

Other aspects focused on in the report include: 

1.   Good personal development of pupils.  They really enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in their high level of attendance, their outstanding behaviour, and their eagerness to learn.  

2.  The curriculum is good.  A particular strength is the many opportunities provided for pupils to enrich their learning from visits, visitors and a range of exciting activities beyond the school day and in the community.  

3.  Pupils work cooperatively, collaboratively and with courtesy beyond their years.  They use their skills in numeracy and ICT in lots of ways, but more opportunities need to be found to enable them to use and develop their writing skills.

4. Pupils in years 3 to 6 are now being stretched more successfully; teachers now plan work that takes better account of pupils' abilities rather than just their year group, and individual targets are shared with parents.

5. Pupils feel they get good guidance and support in schools, and pupils who have either learning difficulties or disabilities receive good support from staff, who deal effectively with their different problems.

6. The governors fulfil their responsibilities well and are very active in the life of the school.  They have a good picture of how the school performs and know how the quality of provision and expenditure impacts on the standards of the school.

Dave Hammond, the chair of Governors at the school, said: 

"This is a great result reflecting the commitment of dedicated staff and the effort of wonderful kids.  I'm confident that with our new headteacher and new facilities the school will soon reach even higher standards."

Nick Fish, the headteacher, added: 

"We had OFSTED and Diocese inspections within a week of each other, and both stated that the behaviour of the children at Dean School is 'outstanding'.  In my view, that is a real credit to everyone involved with the school.

"The inspectors agreed with our evaluations of where the school is currently and how we can improve further."