Doncaster city centre school praised by education watchdog Ofsted

Staff and students at a Doncaster city centre school have been praised by education watchdog Ofsted.

Town Field Primary School, part of The Rose Learning Trust, has been celebrating following their positive Ofsted report that has been published this week.

During the inspection in June, Ofsted said that the school is at a strong standard in two of the seven categories assessed and at the expected standard in the other five.

This is the second positive Ofsted report for The Rose Learning Trust in Doncaster in two weeks following a successful report for Richmond Hill Primary.

The Ofsted report is full of highlights, including:

• Town Field Primary is a caring and friendly school where staff know their community well and everyone is welcome. Pupils benefit from well-established routines and warm relationships with staff and each other.
• Pupils recognise that diversity is what makes Town Field Primary school special. They embrace opportunities to celebrate the variety of languages that are spoken at the school.
• Inclusion is a strength of the school. Leaders and staff have well-developed systems and processes to identify pupils’ needs swiftly and precisely. This means that pupils receive the right support as soon as they join the school.
• Access to the arts, such as playing musical instruments and engagement with wider community arts projects, is a feature of school life.
• Leaders prioritise early reading. Children benefit from daily, well-taught phonics lessons. As a result, they quickly learn to read with fluency and accuracy.
• In classrooms, pupils focus well on their work and are respectful towards staff and each other. Pupils understand what is expected from them in terms of behaviour. They appreciate the positive approach to managing it.
• Most pupils make positive progress through the curriculum from their individual starting points. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The inspection at Town Field was carried out in June under the new Ofsted framework, where schools are no longer given one-word judgements; they are now graded across a range of areas on a five-point scale from ‘exceptional’ to ‘urgent improvement’, with ‘expected standard’ being the new benchmark for high-performing schools.

Helena Honeybone, Headteacher at Town Field Primary School said: "We are delighted that Ofsted has recognised the many strengths of our school.

“This achievement belongs to our dedicated staff, amazing children and supportive families.

“Together we celebrate diversity, champion the arts and strive for excellence every day. I am incredibly proud and privileged to be the Headteacher of such a special school community."

Jeremy Harris, The CEO of The Rose Learning Trust said: ”We are so proud of this strong Ofsted report, the second in two weeks for The Rose Learning Trust, and how it recognises the commitment to the Town Field community of the school leaders and staff to create an inclusive and successful environment for the children in school.”