Susan shares this fantastic news from St Catherine’s School in Ventnor. Ed
After receiving an outstanding judgement from Ofsted for its residential provision in March, St Catherine’s School, Ventnor is celebrating its latest Ofsted education report which highly praised its work with children and young people from the Island and across the UK – all of whom have severe and lifelong speech, language and communication needs and associated conditions such as autistic spectrum disorders, occupational therapy needs, developmental delay, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
Provision continuing to be ‘Good’
Following a short Ofsted inspection of its educational provision in July, the school which supports day and residential students aged 7 to 19 years, as well as having a provision for post-19 students, was judged as continuing to be good.
As the inspectors noted in their letter to St Catherine’s Principal, Rachel Weldon,
“As a result of your firm commitment and strong leadership, pupils are supported well and thrive at St Catherine’s School… The routines and values that you have put in place are respected by all, resulting in exemplary behaviour throughout the school… One parent commented, ‘We feel truly blessed to have a place at St Catherine’s’… A highly developed focus on individual pupils’ needs within the curriculum allows teachers and therapists to work together to provide a holistic learning package… As a result, pupils gain in confidence and are able to participate in a range of activities… These rich experiences support pupils to find success and develop resilience.”
Testament to skilled and dedicated staff
Mrs Rachel Weldon, Principal of St Catherine’s, said,
“We are delighted with the result of this Ofsted inspection, which is a great testament to the undoubted quality of the teaching and learning our students experience and the integrated nature of our provision.
“After our residential care provision was judged by Ofsted to be outstanding in the Spring, again our skilled and dedicated staff across all teams deserve congratulations for all of their efforts to ensure positive progress for our students of all ages.”
Thanks for support
She continued,
“I would like to thank everyone – staff, governors and parents/carers– for their continued commitment towards our ultimate goal of supporting students with speech, language and communication needs to achieve more than they ever thought possible – as our 100% pass results in this year’s GCSE also demonstrate.
“We must also say a big thank you to our wonderful students, who despite their difficulties, give of their best on a daily basis.”
Image: L-R Back: Teacher Rob Walker-Green, Marty-Dee, Spike, Joseph, Principal Rachel Weldon, Ewan, Ben, Alfie and teacher Andy Gibbins | L-R Front: Nathan, Bailey-Ann, Mykee, James and Charles
