St Benedict’s Catholic School, in Bury St Edmunds, is lauded by Ofsted for ‘bold and ambitious curriculum’ and ‘deeply supportive and nurturing environment’

A secondary school where students ‘are encouraged to be the best versions of themselves’ has received high praise from inspectors.

Ofsted carried out an ungraded inspection of St Benedict’s Catholic School, in Beetons Way, Bury St Edmunds, over June 3 and 4.

The watchdog concluded that the school, which is part of Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Trust, had taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. Previously, the school was judged to be ‘good’.

In a shining report, Ofsted said the school delivered ‘a bold and ambitious curriculum’, teachers possessed deep subject expertise and pupils ‘thrive within the school’s deeply supportive and nurturing environment’.

The Ofsted report said: “Pupils who attend St Benedict’s Catholic school are encouraged to be the best versions of themselves.

“Alongside an education that provides them with knowledge to succeed, they are encouraged to reflect and consider the wider world and the people in it. This fully embodies the school’s values of ‘wisdom, compassion and resilience’.”

Headteacher Imogen Senior said: “This is a really lovely report and whilst we were not expecting a visit from Ofsted this term, or indeed this academic year, we feel that this report is a wonderful reflection of the school that we see every day.

“We are delighted that so much was clearly visible in this short inspection. I am honoured to be part of the school community, as a parent, staff member and headteacher.

“We are particularly pleased to hear our school recognised as a ‘deeply supportive and nurturing environment’ and that our curriculum is ‘bold and ambitious’ as this is always our ambition.

“There are so many lovely things said and the area for development reflects our current focus which is reassuring.

“Our values as a Catholic school drive all that we do and we are very pleased with how strongly the mission and ethos of the school was visible throughout the school by the inspection team. We feel this report reflects school as it is and describes the wonderful community we are part of.”

In further praise the Ofsted report said the school, which has 968 students on roll, sets high expectations for its pupils, and they respond to this, taking pride in their work and achievements.

Pupils have strong relationships with the adults there and feel ‘supported, valued and well guided’ throughout their time at school.

Their behaviour and attitudes are positive; they are supportive of one another and pupils from different year groups happily interact and help each other, the report continued.

“This gives the school a sense of community where everyone works together purposefully,” the report said.

It added: “Pupils embrace diversity here and respect difference and say that this deepens their understanding of others. As a result, pupils feel secure, happy and appreciated.”

Furthermore, the school carefully identifies the specific needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and teaching is adapted to meet individual learning needs precisely, the schools’ standards for behaviour and attendance are high and sixth formers are encouraged to reach their full potential.

There are many opportunities to develop skills and interests at St Benedict’s, with all pupils encouraged to participate, and the trust and governors ensure that every decision is in the best interest of its pupils, the report said.

“School leaders are driven by a relentless commitment to enhancing pupils’ experiences in pursuit of their vision.”

Highlighting an area to work on, Ofsted said, occasionally, staff do not use assessment effectively to identify pupils’ strengths or to check understanding.