STAFF and pupils at a popular York school are celebrating after a two-day inspection.

Ofsted inspectors dropped in at Joseph Rowntree School in New Earswick and said that the 1,270-pupil school continues to be rated ‘good’, acknowledging the work that had been done since the previous inspection to enhance the quality of the curriculum for pupils, including those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

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Head Dave Hewitt, said: "We are really pleased with the Ofsted report and how it recognises the impact of key parts of our work including our high expectations, broad and ambitious curriculum, wider personal development, and the support and care we provide for all of our pupils.

"The hard work of our staff has been at the centre of the progress we have made as a school and this really shines through in the report."

The report states that: “Teachers care about pupils and help them to do their best. This care and support is a strength of the school. Relationships in school are strong between staff and pupils".

And that “pupils at this school, including those in the sixth form, value their learning".

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Pupils also told inspectors that they feel safe and happy.

And the inspector said: “Leaders, governors, and staff have high expectations for what pupils and students should achieve. All pupils benefit from a broad and ambitious curriculum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities needs (SEND).”

When it came to areas where the school can improve, inspectors said: "Some parents and carers do not feel sufficiently aware of the systems in place to support their children. This can limit their ability to complement the support that their children receive. It can also limit their ability to check the impact of support on their child.

"Leaders should communicate more effectively with parents and carers of pupils with SEND to help them to contribute to and check the impact of the support that their children receive."

Also they said that "staff do not encourage older pupils to read widely or often enough. This means that opportunities to enhance pupils’ vocabulary and depth of knowledge across the curriculum are missed."

Ben Coleman, director of sixth form, was thrilled that the strength of the school’s sixth form was highlighted in the report with inspectors saying: "students who choose to stay on into the sixth form are well supported and progress well. The sixth-form curriculum is strong. Students can choose a wide range of subjects. Leaders have carefully planned what knowledge students need to gain in each subject. Teachers focus on recapping important knowledge. This helps students to commit important concepts to their long-term memory. Sixth-form students achieve well and move onto appropriate destinations".

Mr Hewitt added: "Our ethos of being the right school for our students to grow in is much more than just about exam results. Our Year 11 and Sixth Form results this year were the best the school has ever achieved, but equally important is our work on personal development and the range of extracurricular activities we provide for our students." 

Robin Stafford, chairman of governors, said: "All the staff at the school have been working really hard to create a positive learning environment. It is something that the inspectors clearly picked up on and it wouldn’t have been possible without support from parents/carers and the whole community.”