Ofsted Information

Governors Reports

Ofsted Inpection 28th June 2018

At Birch Wood we lead with an “…absolute determination to ensure that the school is the very best it can be for pupils to succeed.”

Ofsted 2018

Birch Wood School had an Ofsted Inspection on 28th June 2018. This was a short inspection under the most recent Ofsted schedule and therefore was aimed at ensuring the school continues to provide a ‘good’ quality of education since the last full inspection in December 2014.

The inspection concluded that the school continues to be good. It also concluded that we have addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection together with the priorities from the monitoring visit which took place in May 2017. Furthermore the extremely positive letter recognises that the school has many strengths including, but not limited to the following:

  • Leadership have an absolute determination to ensure that the school is the very best it can be for pupils to succeed
  • A very positive culture throughout the school
  • Pupils have a very positive attitude and attend regularly
  • Pupils behave well and show respect towards adults and one another
  • Incidents of inappropriate behaviour are managed well and are rigorously recorded and monitored
  • The leadership team have an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness
  • Governors and leaders know the school well
  • There is a robust plan for improvement
  • There are effective systems to regularly check on the quality of teaching
  • We are driving up the quality of teaching
  • There is a calm, orderly and purposeful learning environment
  • Our pupil-passport system is highly effective in helping staff to review and report pupils’ outcomes
  • Leaders have carefully considered the pupils’ needs and how to engage them actively in the curriculum
  • Pupils, including those with the most complex needs, fully engage in the activities that their teachers give them
  • Older pupils visit colleges and all pupils are well prepared for the new academic year in good time
  • Safeguarding is effective and staff are alert for any signs that a pupil may be at risk
  • Checks on the suitability of staff are rigorous
  • A key message driven by leaders, that safeguarding is at the heart of the school’s work and top of the agenda for all staff, is clearly evident and demonstrated across the school

As always we won’t stop in our aim to ensure Birch Wood continues to go from strength to strength, providing the highest standards of education and care for our pupils.

I would like to thank the pupils at Birch Wood who totally shined on the day and showed the inspectors how fantastic they all are and also staff who demonstrated their passion and total commitment to our pupils in going about their normal daily activities. I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the whole Birch Wood community including governors, parents and volunteers for your contributions to the inspection on the day and for your support since I became Head teacher at Birch Wood in August 2016.

We can now look forward to another creative and successful year for everybody at Birch Wood.

Parent View

Parent View gives you the chance to tell Ofsted what you think about your child’s school, from the quality of teaching to dealing with bullying and poor behaviour.
The survey can be completed at any time; you don’t have to wait until the school is being inspected.

Ofsted will use the information you provide when making decisions about which schools to inspect and when. 

Click the link below to access the Parent View Page on the Ofsted Website and follow the instructions.