Worthing schools and nurseries celebrating after visits from Ofsted inspectors

And it has been good news for all of them, with each being rated as either Good or Outstanding by the inspectors for education.

Having previously been rated Requires Improvement, Ferring CE Primary School was ranked as Good after inspectors visited in October and published their report in December.

The report found: “Ferring C of E Primary is a welcoming school, where pupils flourish. Pupils model the Ferring values through their actions and in their work. They benefit from the excellent relationships they have with staff. This helps them grow in confidence rapidly. Pupils are happy and safe in school.”

Naomi Welsh, head teacher at the school in Sea Lane, Ferring, said: “The school has definitely been on a journey and my entire staff team have worked tirelessly, embraced change and have helped transform the curriculum, learning environments and provide amazing opportunities for our children. I am truly blessed to work with such talented individuals and fun, vibrant children every day.

“We are also the report praises the high aspirations of new leaders and how we have brought about significant improvement in many areas of the school, including improving the school’s curriculum. The inspectors were also very happy about how we look after our children and our staff. As well as knowing our pupils well and doing all we can to look after them, the report also notes how proud our staff are to work here and how we look after them too!

“We all relished the opportunity to show off our hard work and how far we have come. There are still things to be working on and we will not rest on our laurels. The school has potential to be even better still and there are always plans afoot! Watch this space!”

Pupils, parents and governors at The Laurels Primary School in Durrington were celebrating after Ofsted also judged the school ‘good’ in all areas.

After their visit, inspectors said ‘leaders have worked hard to continually improve the school’, ‘leaders have high expectations of pupils regarding what they can achieve and how they should behave’, and ‘leaders prepare pupils well for their future lives.’

The report also praised the happy, proud and responsible children at the ‘nurturing and caring’ school, ‘the buzz of learning around the school’ and the wide range of extra- curricular clubs provided to develop pupils’ skills and talents. The inspectors also highlighted the ethos of The Laurels where pupils feel ‘happy and safe’ and ‘staff inspire pupils to know that they can achieve anything they want in life.’

Head teacher Charlotte Bull said: “I am delighted that Ofsted has recognised The Laurels as a ‘good’ school. The report shines a light on the commitment, hard work and successes of our staff, pupils and their families and demonstrates the significant progress made since the last inspection.

"This is an exciting time for our school and we continue to build on this success and give our children the best education possible.”

English Martyrs Catholic Primary was also confirmed as a Good school, after inspectors visited at the end of last year.

During the visit, they noted it was ‘a school where every pupil is made to feel unique and special’ and that ‘pastoral care is very strong’. They also commented on the strong start that children make in Early Years and how they thrive with the opportunities to be independent.

It was also noted the curriculum is inclusive and ambitious, and reported parents feel ‘each child is treated with care and compassion’.

“This is a fantastic achievement for our school, and is wonderful recognition of the progress that we have made,” said head teacher, Helen Townsley.

“We are particularly delighted that the team recognised how much we care for each and every child. This is at the very heart of our school. I am incredibly proud of our children, and also proud to be surrounded by dedicated teachers and staff who are so committed to nurturing all of our pupils to achieve their full potential.”

The report has also been received positively by parents, with comments such as: “We were delighted to see the result and to read such lovely things about our school in the report! A real reflection of the school and how happy the children are there.”

Head teacher Helen Townsley said: “We have been on a real journey of improvement over recent years and are excited about the future for our school. We are looking forward to building on our strengths so that we can be the best we can for each and every child, their family and our community.”

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Davison Day Nursery in East Worthing was rated Outstanding by Ofsted following its inspection in December. The term-time only, committee-run nursery is based on the site of Davison CE High School for Girls, in Selborne Road, and has strong links with the school as well as the local community.

The report concluded: “Leaders and staff are extremely dedicated to placing children and families at the heart of everything they do. They ensure that they know every child within their care, and treat them all as unique and individual.”

Chairperson Pauline Smith, nursery manager Louise Payne and deputy manager Juliette Reynolds, said they were delighted with the outcome of the inspection, the results of which were published this week.

They added: “We are thrilled our longstanding and dedicated staff team have been recognised for their commitment to the nursery.”