Kettering school's pride after praise from Ofsted inspectors - with elements found to be outstanding

Ofsted inspectors have heaped praise on a Kettering school after judging elements of their provision to be outstanding.

Southfield School was visited by the education watchdog over two days in April and was found to continue to be a good school overall.

But inspectors gave it top marks in two categories – personal development and sixth-form provision – making head of school Scott Nevett proud of the recently-published report.

He said: “We would like to thank all of our families for their support in working together in partnership with us, which is so important to the success of their children.

"We would also like to extend our thanks to all of our dedicated staff team who work so hard, every day, to ensure Southfield students can thrive.

"Finally, and by no means least, a massive thanks to our amazing, optimistic and resilient students, who engage so well with our school and the world of possibilities we offer.”

Inspectors who visited the Lewis Road school, which is all-girls for key stage three and four and mixed-sex for sixth form, found students have positive relationships with staff and are polite and kind.

They said teachers have strong subject knowledge, that leaders have strong systems in place and that provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional.

Lead inspector Aoife Galletly said: "Pupils come to school in a safe, focused environment where expectations are high.

"They have positive relationships with staff who know them well. Through the enrichment programme, every pupil benefits from a rich set of experiences. This means pupils try things they would not otherwise try.

"As one group of pupils agreed, they are pushed out of their ‘comfort zone’ and are surprised by what they enjoy and achieve. As a result, pupils develop resilience, confidence and optimism.”

Ms Galletly said that, to improve further, the school needed to provide consistently effective support to pupils with special educational needs and ensure that teachers prioritise feedback so pupils produce consistently high-quality work.

But she praised leaders of safeguarding for bringing considerable experience to their work.

She said: “They ensure that staff take timely action to respond to any concerns raised about a pupil. Leaders work closely with external agencies to make sure pupils get the help and support they need.”