The retiring headteacher of St Michael’s First School went out on a high at the end of the summer term – with a glowing report from Ofsted.
Mary Gale officially retires as headteacher of the Stone school on 31st August, but she certainly didn’t wind down at the end of her final term at the school – and the Ofsted inspection in her penultimate week must have occupied her mind!
The inspection rated St Michael’s as a ‘good’ school – and it narrowly missed out on the top ‘outstanding’ grade.
Inspectors singled out Mrs Gale, saying that she’s “regarded highly by staff, pupils and parents” and that she – along with deputy Mrs Campbell-Kelly – “are the major driving forces behind improvement in the quality of teaching and the increase in the proportion of pupils reaching higher levels”. Other findings include:
- Pupils behave well, have very positive attitudes towards learning and are immensely proud of their school
- Links with parents and carers are particularly strong. Parents feel involved in their children’s learning
- Teaching is good. The quality of teamwork between teachers and adults who support pupils is exceptionally good
- Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes
- Achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is good throughout the school
- The help given to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is of high quality
- The school provides many good-quality opportunities for pupils to develop into mature individuals
- Music is a very important part of school life. It makes a major contribution to pupils’ excellent spiritual and cultural development.
Click HERE to listen to an interview with Mrs Gale, who is retiring as head after 17 years
