Ofsted inspection finds quality of education at St Anne's School 'requires improvement'

The school was marked positively in most areas but the report said an improved curriculum was needed. Credit: ITV Channel

The only school on Alderney - St Anne's - "requires improvement" when it comes to the quality of education it provides, according to a recent Ofsted inspection.

It's the first time the school, which teaches students from the age of 4 through to 17, has been reviewed by the external organisation.

St Anne's School received positive feedback in four out of five key areas, including behaviour, personal development, leadership and its early years provision.

"Pupils at St Anne's School are happy, safe and inquisitive about the world," the report states.

It praises the island's unique position and the school's ability to incorporate it into the curriculum in activities like visiting World War II relics and learning to swim in the sea.

However, "pupils do not study a well-structured curriculum in some subjects," the inspectors noted.

"This means that pupils are not supported to build on what they already know and prepare for what comes next."

The report added that the school "does not use assessment effectively" to measure its pupils' level of knowledge.

It continued, saying "aspects of the PSHE curriculum are not well implemented. Therefore, there are some gaps in pupils’ understanding of things that are important for their wider development."

When listing where St Anne's performed well, the Ofsted report said "its ambitions for pupils’ academic, social and emotional success are shared by all staff".

It also praised much of the English curriculum from Reception to Year 11 but said that many of the school's primary-age pupils lacked a "secure knowledge" in many key maths skills.

Wendy Wilson, the headteacher of St Anne's, said: "I am very pleased that Ofsted has recognised many of the qualities of our school and the positive experiences our pupils receive at St Anne’s.

"Whilst there are undoubtedly areas where we can, and will, improve, I was heartened that the inspection report reinforces our belief that we are firmly on the right track."

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