Ofsted: John Hanson Community school praised after visit

Ofsted inspectors visited John Hanson Community School on March 13 and 14 and in a report published on Friday, May 3, said that it continues to be a ‘good’ school.

The report highlighted the “rich and broad curriculum” that pupils follow, which supports their academic development. It continued: “It is designed and delivered to nurture confidence and independence. Pupils rise to staff’s high expectations of them, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.”

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Staff were also praised for ‘nurturing positive relationships’ and managing behaviour ‘consistently and fairly’.

Inspectors noted: “Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. They feel safe and know they have staff they can go to for help if they need it. They know bullying can happen, but they rightly trust the school to address it effectively.”

The school was praised for its “caring and inclusive nature” through its very strong pastoral work, with Ofsted adding: “Pupils value it highly because they know that staff have their best interests at heart.

“Pupils appreciate why staff have high expectations for their conduct and attitudes to school.”

Governors were found to provide a ‘robust oversight’ of safeguarding and standards, with the school being “very mindful of staff workload and of creating a positive and supportive working environment which puts pupils first”.

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Headteacher Russell Stevens said: “I could not be prouder of our pupils and my staff team. The Ofsted report is a real endorsement of the values and standards we hold dear at John Hanson – those of care, inclusivity and aspiration.

“The Ofsted inspectors really did see that Inspire-Care-Succeed is not just the schools strap line, but three words that underpin everything we do.”

This was the first visit by Ofsted to the school since it was judged to be ‘good’ in October 2018.

Inspectors offered the school two points of improvement including that “teachers do not systematically check gaps in pupils’ understanding” and stating that a very small number of pupils ‘struggle to meet the school’s high expectations for behaviour’ which means they 'do not consistently respect the school’s culture'.