Whitefield Primary School celebrates ‘outstanding’ Ofsted inspection

A Liverpool primary school has been rated ‘outstanding’ in every single category by education inspectors.

Whitefield Primary School in Everton are celebrating achieving the highest Ofsted grade, with Ofsted concluding that they are fulfilling their motto of “nothing but the best”.

Ofsted lavished praise on the 282 pupils, teachers, support staff and governors, describing staff as “unflagging in giving pupils the nurture and support they need to succeed”.

Children starting school with below average skills and knowledge make excellent progress by the time they leave reception. By the end of year six, progress in English and maths is above the national average.

The behaviour of pupils is described as “impeccable” and they are “polite and articulate” with an “outstanding attitude to learning”.

Attendance is also above the national average – with Ofsted noting that senior staff will call at the homes of pupils who are unnecessarily absent and take them in to school if necessary.

We are delighted and proud to share wonderful news. Whitefield’s recent Ofsted inspection found our school to be outstanding in every area. pic.twitter.com/a8nZjbrxTI

— Whitefield Primary (@WhitefieldPS) December 21, 2017

Executive headteacher Nadine Carroll – who also heads up neighbouring Faith Primary School in Everton has been with the school since 2010. She is described as having an “exceptional” determination to provide the highest quality of education for pupils.

The school is located in a ward where almost half of children (48.7 percent) live in poverty – well above the city average of 32 percent and the national average of 20 percent – and where one in four people are out of work. It is among the top one percent of most deprived areas in the country.

Executive headteacher Nadine Carroll said: “I am so incredibly proud of everyone at the school and this report is down to all of their hard work and determination.

“We just strive to make every day a fantastic learning experience for our pupils, and I am so pleased that the inspectors have recognised that.

“But this isn’t just down to the school – we have a fantastic partnership with parents who want their children to do well, and we help them help us.”

Assistant mayor and cabinet member for schools, Councillor Nick Small, added: “Whitefield Primary School is absolute proof that you do not need to be located within a leafy suburb to provide the very best education for children.

“It shows that if you have the right leadership, the enthusiasm and commitment is infectious and drives the entire school forward.

“Although 90 percent of our primary schools are classed as good or outstanding, we are absolutely not complacent. Through our recently launched Liverpool Promise we are committed to sharing the outstanding practice at schools such as Whitefield and embedding it within other schools.”

Whitefield Primary School was previously ranked ‘good’ when it was last inspected in 2013, and prior to that was rated ‘satisfactory’ in 2011.

We interviewed executive headteacher Nadine Carroll this year, read the interview here.