Torches help light school's way to success

A Manchester primary school where children read by torchlight has been named as outstanding in all categories in its most recent Ofsted report.

The torchlight reading sessions in a haunted house setting are just one unusual aspect of St. Wilfrid's CE primary school in Newton Heath, which has 232 children on its roll.

The idea is to fire children's imagination and get them more interested in reading. A fairground theme was another feature, with a carousel coming out from a classroom wall on which the children could read and write.

Award-winning headteacher Diane Rycroft said: "It is all part of the school's personalised learning ethos using familiar aspects from the children's own environment."

But to raise their sights within the Upper School, lessons are being planned on an airport theme, with a visit to Manchester airport to learn all about aspects of air travel.

Explained Diane: "Many of our children don't go on holiday and don't see anything but their local community. The airport theme will raise their aspirations for the future."

The Upper school curriculum, led and managed by assistant head, Sophie Murfin, is personalised to meet the childrens' needs and develop a life long love of learning.

But what has pleased the school most is that Ofsted has recognised its early tracking and assessment of children with special needs or who are gifted. The process begins even before the children have begun nursery school, with deputy head Sue Dunne, supervising the tracking and assessment phase.

The school's expertise in this area is now being shared among other local primary schools in the area.

Also winning Ofsted praise is the school's foundation stage. Diane said: "When children come into our school, 87% are well below the baseline profile but when they leave this stage, due to excellent teaching in a "vibrant learning environment, they are average or above average."

The school was judged Grade 1 Outstanding by Ofsted in six areas, from overall effectiveness to leadership and management. The improvement since the last inspection was outstanding, as is the school's capacity to improve.

The Executive Member for Children's Services, Councillor Sheila Newman, said: "This school is really quite remarkable and my congratulations go to Diane Rycroft and her staff for achieving such a standard. Children at St. Wilfrid's are being given an excellent start in their education and this latest Ofsted report should re-assure parents in the area that this is a school that their children should be enrolled at, if they are not already planning to do so."

Media contact:

Jane Lemon, tel: 0161 234 3179