Praise for Holbeach school with ‘university’

A South Holland school has been praised for developing the life skills of its pupils along with academic performance.

A recent Ofsted inspection resulted in a letter to the head teacher praising the leadership team at the William Stukeley Church of England Primary School, Holbeach.

“Your ethos of developing pupils’ life skills, such as resilience, independence and the ability to hold a conversation, sits alongside the importance of academic achievement,” said a letter from inspector Di Mullan.

The school was rated as good and particular mention was made of its ‘university’.

On Friday afternoons during at least two terms a year, pupils attend a seminar of their choice from a selection prepared by staff.

The seminars are linked with the world of work to inspire pupils and prepare them for their futures.

“Equine studies, flower arranging and seminars delivered by local police officers and magistrates are among the popular choices on offer,” said the short report.

“Pupils told me that they are proud to attend the school. Around the school and in lessons, pupils respond well to instructions from adults. They are polite and keen to talk about their school to visitors,” the report added.

When the school’s leadership team identified that boys were not achieving as well as girls, steps were taken to rectify the situation.

“Pupils in Key Stage 1, for example, write stories based on the superhero Superman and trips to the local Royal Air Force Base are commonplace. By the end of 2017, the proportion of boys achieving the expected standards at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 had risen in each subject. By the end of Year 6, boys made better progress than girls in reading and mathematics,” said the report.

Children often start the school with lower skills than would be expected, added the inspector.
“We saw staff expertly encouraging children to develop their skills,” the report said.

The report stressed that safeguarding was a high priority for the school and pupils told inspectors that bullying was very rare.

The 30mph speed limit outside the school might be extended along Spalding Road.

A Lincolnshire County Council spokesman said a consultation is underway to “ensure it is consistent with our policy of a  30mph speed limit being in place of the vicinity of a school.

“This policy is to ensure the safety of children and parents as they travel to and from school.”