There’s celebrations taking place at a special school in Sudbury this week after it maintained its “outstanding” rating following the latest Ofsted inspection.
Michelle Kelly, headteacher, said she was “delighted” with what she described as a “fantastic” accolade for staff and pupils.
It came after inspectors Jackie Mullan and Marianick Ellender-Gelé visited Hillside Special School, in Hitchcock Place, last month, which has 82 pupils aged from three to 19.
And they said that the leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the
school since the previous inspection in January 2014.
They said leaders have a strong will to improve the school further and to ensure that it
continues to meet the individual needs of the pupils. They work tirelessly with staff,
parents, carers, governors and the whole community to ensure that pupils gain the
best education they can.
“With the support of leaders and governors you have the capacity to improve attendance and to ensure more consistency in the strategies that pupils and staff use to improve communication.
“Almost all parents are extremely positive about the school.
“The very large majority of parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, or sent text messages to the inspection team are very pleased about the progress their children have made since joining the school.
“Parents also praise staff who do ‘a fabulous job at fulfilling every child’s individual needs’. “Parents are very clear that they feel the new leadership team continues the improvement journey.”
Ms Kelly, who took over as the headteacher a year ago along with deputy head Shelley Jackson being recruited last September, said: “The report is fantastic and we are absolutely delighted.
“The inspection team reported that teaching, learning and assessment at the school was highly effective. They were very impressed with the partnership between the school and the health teams supporting the school. They felt this strong collaboration meant pupils and their families were well supported.
“I would like to recognise the efforts and hard work of all the governors and staff at Hillside. This truly is a team effort. We are all very proud of the outcome, and excited to move forward with further developments, as we continue to strive for excellence at Hillside.”
The report added that pupils come into Hillside very happily, looking forward to the day, and that it is “a vibrant, happy place” where pupils are interested in their learning.
The school is highly regarded by the local authority and works well with neighbouring schools to the benefit of all and it shares its expertise and contributes positively to local networks.
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