Mansfield school's delight at good rating

The Samworth Church Academy has been rated good in its newly published Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools report.

Lisa McVeigh, principal of the Sherwood Hall Road academy, which was established by joint sponsors Sir David Samworth and the Church of England’s Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham in 2008, said she was delighted with the report.

She said: “We are pleased to have this external validation of the emphasis we place on our core Christian values at the academy and the impact this has.

“We also welcome any feedback in how we can continuously improve as we help our students have the best start to the 70 or more great years they should enjoy after they leave us.”

The inspection looks at seven strands: vision and leadership; wisdom, knowledge and skills; character development: hope, aspiration and courageous advocacy; community and living well together; dignity and respect; the impact of collective worship; and the effectiveness of religious education

In their report on Samworth, inspectors said: “Staff go the extra mile on students’ behalf, so all students feel a sense of self-worth.

“Relationships at all levels are a strength of the academy, so students relate to staff and their peers in a positive way.

“The commitment of all staff to meeting students’ needs ensures the academy remains over-subscribed for Year 7 entry.

“No students indicate bullying was a problem and the school is recognised in its Ofsted report as being at the forefront of measures to curb homophobic, racist or sexist discrimination.

‘Deep and challenging questions are tackled without hesitation, particularly in religious education. Students are led to a mature understanding of differing views on a range of issues.”

Alex Brompton, academy chaplain, said “We are all about giving our students every opportunity to develop into all-round great characters – and this includes the often neglected spiritual aspects of life.

“This report is fantastic news for our academy and for all of those who had input, but we are looking forward to moving onto to even bigger and better things.”