This in from the council, in their own words, Ed
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School at Carisbrooke has received special praise from the Minister for Schools, David Laws, in relation to its improvement in key stage 2 results for disadvantaged pupils since 2011.
In a letter, the minister told the school:
“Your results show that you have improved in term of the progress and attainment achieved by your disadvantaged pupils since 2011, and that you are highly effective in educating your disadvantaged pupils. It is clear that you and your staff have provided your disadvantaged pupils with a good start in life and prepared them well for secondary school.”
He added:
“I would like to congratulate your staff, governors, parents and pupils for their hard work and success, and thank you for your leadership in making such a difference to the future success of your pupils. Finally, I would also encourage you to share your achievements with other schools so that they can learn from your strengths and experience.”
St Thomas Primary School shares the same headteacher and governing body as St Mary’s Catholic Primary School at Ryde, operating on a federated basis, with some teaching staff also shared.
Executive headteacher, Janet Tuck, said:
“We are very pleased to have received this letter from the minister. His positive comments are deserved recognition of the commitment and skills of our staff which have ensured progress for our most vulnerable pupils.
“It is particularly reassuring to have received these comments following on from the recent Ofsted report on St Thomas Primary School – which had referred to lower attainment among our disadvantaged pupils.”
The Isle of Wight Council’s Executive member children’s services, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, said:
“This is excellent news for the school and all concerned should be congratulated. High level acknowledgment of all the hard work that has taken place is a welcome fillip following on from the recent Ofsted report.
“It is also very good to see that the minister is suggesting the school shares its achievements with other schools so they can learn from its strengths.”
