A Burton school is celebrating after receiving a glowing Ofsted report recognising the way pupils ‘engage with learning and with each other’ as ‘impressive’. It is the latest in a hat trick of accolades for the town junior school.
Burton Fields School, in Outwoods Street, has been praised as Good, only narrowly missing an overall Outstanding rating following outstanding recognition in behaviour and attitudes and personal development in its latest report.
The news comes after it was awarded International Eco School Award with Distinction at the beginning of the year for its commitment to the highest standards of environmental awareness and has also been selected as one of only a handful of schools in the Midlands with UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting School status.
Madelaine Burkett, headteacher at the school, which is home to 189 pupils aged 7 to 11, said the ongoing recognitions are thanks to all the hard work of pupils and staff.
She said: “As a school we are passionate about providing the very best opportunities to every pupil. We work hard to put the needs of our children at the heart of everything we do so it is very rewarding to see that recognised in our latest Ofsted report.
“As one of only about 2% of schools in the UK with UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting status we are pleased that inspectors were impressed with the outstanding behaviour and attitude of our pupils.
“It is something that we embed into every aspect of school life and we are pleased to see our children thriving both academically as well as personally as they gain the confidence and skills they need in later life.”
The first Ofsted inspection for the school since it joined the Central Cooperative Learning Trust in 2019 the report says, ‘The school is calm, safe and orderly because of how well pupils follow the rules and show respect to each other and staff. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.’
It also highlighted, ‘inclusion’ as being ‘at the heart of all the school does’ with the school having ‘high ambitions for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)’.
Levels of respect and ‘excellent attitudes to learning’ were also highlighted with the report stating, ‘respect is evident in the way pupils talk to each other, to adults, and in the excellent behaviour that is always on show’.
UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting status is the highest accolade from the UK Committee for UNICEF. The award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice to help children lead happy, healthy lives becoming responsible and active citizens within their community.
It means that the school works hard with pupils and staff to build respect into every element of school life.
Building strong relationships between the school and the wider community families are also encouraged to join in with litter picks locally as well as parent days where they can find out more about school life from music concerts, to exploring the outdoor areas and creating their own lights in science projects.
The inspection report found, ‘parents speak extremely positively about the support, education and care their children receive.’
Richard Simcox CEO at the Central Co-operative Learning Trust, said: “Community is an important part of life at our schools. Our aim is to always nurture and support children not only academically but also in providing them with the best opportunities to thrive and support their wider community.
“Burton Fields School should be very proud of their latest Ofsted report as it recognises all the hard work that goes in to providing the very best opportunities for our children.”
The school has also been recognised for its ecofriendly commitments by creating awareness of ways to improve the environment by encouraging children to travel sustainably and be aware of the impact leaving car engines idling outside the school can have on pollution and air quality.
They have also become a Hedgehog Friendly Campus by creating wild areas and hedgehog homes as well as using wildlife cameras to monitor animal visits on the site to record and look at new ways to attract more hedgehogs back to the area.
The Central Co-operative Learning Trust was formed in November 2017 and is made up of nine Midlands schools including six based in Staffordshire. Others in the Trust include William Shrewsbury Primary School, in Stretton, Outwoods Primary School and Grange Infant School, in Burton, and John of Rolleston Primary School, in Rolleston.
Creative Word PR 