Two Lionheart Schools achieve 'Ofsted GOOD'

We’re delighted that two Lionheart schools – Judgemeadow Community College and Highcliffe Primary – have been recognised as GOOD schools by Ofsted.

Following a two-day Ofsted inspection in October 2022, Judgemeadow Community College in Leicester has been graded a ‘Good’ school, with inspectors submitting a report that praised strong safeguarding and subject expertise, as well as the positive values and ethos of the school.

Having previously been graded ‘inadequate’ in 2016 prior to joining Lionheart, the five-strong team of Inspectors recognised the excellent progress made across all areas; quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

New school leadership and the support gained since joining the Lionheart Educational Trust in 2018 were recognised as having led to significant improvements, reflected in Ofsted’s detailed report.

The report praised the safeguarding measures in place, noting the culture of care at Judgemeadow, where students feel safe within school and staff work with a range of other agencies, including the police and social care, to support pupils and their families. The inspection report noted ‘The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a culture of care at Judgemeadow... Safeguarding leaders take swift action when concerns are raised’ and also stated, ‘The curriculum supports pupils in understanding how to keep themselves safe.’

The inspectors reflected that the improvements were clearly evident in students’ good conduct, respect and the care they show for one another. It said: 'Staff at Judgemeadow have high expectations of all pupils. Leaders want pupils to succeed academically and socially. Pupils are enthusiastic about the merit system and are proud of their achievements. Teachers encourage pupils to be ‘upstanders.’

Inspectors recognised the high-quality education that students also receive, praising reading and the wider curriculum, including opportunities beyond the classroom. It said, ‘Leaders and teachers prioritise reading. There is a system in place to support weaker and early readers’ and ‘Leaders take the school’s context into account when designing the curriculum. The curriculum supports pupils’ wider development and provides them with a range of enrichment opportunities.’

CEO of Lionheart Educational Trust, Kath Kelly commented: “This excellent Ofsted result for Judgemeadow has been borne out of a well-balanced partnership between Lionheart and the school. Together, we are always considering where improvements can be made and that was clearly recognised by the huge improvement in Ofsted rating at this latest inspection. It's also thanks to staff, students, their families, and the community partners who make Judgemeadow an amazing and safe place for students to learn and achieve.”

Jason Smith, Principal of Judgemeadow Community College, added: “We are immensely pleased that the good work of staff and students at Judgemeadow Community College has been recognised by the Ofsted team. Our community can now say what we’ve known for some time, ‘Judgemeadow is a Good School’.”  

Later in October, Highcliffe Primary School in Birstall, Leicestershire, also welcomed a team of Ofsted inspectors for a two-day visit. Having previously been graded a GOOD school in 2017, the school were over the moon to maintain their status, having been awarded GOOD once more.

Executive Principal, Chelsea Williams said: “We are incredibly proud of all of our children and staff at Highcliffe. There are so many positive aspects to the inspection report and we’re quite simply delighted to have had this acknowledgement of the good work we do while educating young people in the local community.”

The Highcliffe report recognised:

• A strong school community where relationships between the adults and children at the school are enormously positive and based on ‘mutual respect’.
• That children are safe and understand how to keep themselves safe; they saw that if any child is worried or concerned that there are robust systems in place for them to report this and receive support.
• Children who attend Highcliffe are happy and polite, respectful and a ‘credit to the school’.
• Leaders’ high expectations of all children was evident and that the children shared in this vision knowing that if they work hard they will do well and this will help them to achieve their ‘big dreams’.
• The curriculum as being effectively designed to meet the needs of all children, including for children with special educational needs or disabilities.
• The school’s passion for reading was evident, as was the skillful teaching of mathematics.

Lionheart Educational Trust, together with Judgemeadow Community College and Highcliffe Primary School, are thrilled with the recent Ofsted inspection results.