Exterior of Carisbrooke College

Marked improvements at Isle of Wight school say Ofsted inspectors

The Isle of Wight Education Federation is pleased to share the outcome of the recent section 5 Ofsted inspection at Carisbrooke College which was carried out on 10th and 11th December 2019.

The team of inspectors, led by Yasmin Maskatiya HMI, determined that significant improvements have been made and judged behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management to now be firmly Good.

Well on its way to ‘Good’
Although the overall judgement remains as Requires Improvement, the school is well on its way to moving out of this category in the near future.

The inspection report is overwhelmingly positive regarding the progress that has been made at Carisbrooke College and the capacity the school has to secure continued improvements to the quality of education and students’ personal development.

It states that,

“The executive headteacher and his senior team lead with purpose and clarity. They are determined that all pupils receive the highest quality of education.”

It also says that,

“Everyone can see that a strong start has been made.”

Pupils say life at school is calm and harmonious
Carisbrooke College is a smaller than average secondary school where students feel valued as individuals and supported within a close knit community. Inspectors found that,

“Pupils can see that Carisbrooke College is changing for the better. They also say that life at school is calm and harmonious.”

Three areas for improvement
The report highlights just three areas that the school needs to focus on in future to ensure that it continues to improve. Plans to address these areas are already in action and we are confident that the school will be able to demonstrate progress in these areas very quickly.

Ofsted recognised that,

“Leaders are aware of what they must do to continue to improve teaching” and said that “pupils’ behaviour in lessons has changed very much over the last year. They are ready to learn and eager to make progress.”

Parr-Burman: “Even more determined that we continue to improve”
Executive Headteacher and Head of School for Carisbrooke College, Matthew Parr-Burman, said,

“I would like to thank the governors, staff, students and parents for their ongoing hard work and commitment. Everyone in our community should be proud of the remarkable progress that has been made so far. It has been a busy year for us, moving into our brand new, fit for purpose building with state of the art IT and Technology facilities.

“We have strengthened our federative links with Medina College and the Island VI Form where we are learning from and supporting each other every day. We also achieved significantly improved examination results last summer. I am delighted that this inspection report reflects the passion and dedication of our staff.

“However, I am frustrated we have not yet got to the Good rating that we all desire and, overall, we have remained as Requires Improvement. For me this is not something I am at all happy with and I am even more determined that we continue to improve. We all remain ambitious for the future of Carisbrooke College and will continue to work hard to ensure that we are the very best we can be.”

The Report
You can read the inspection report in full – click on the full screen icon to see larger version.


News shared by Gemma on behalf of the Isle of Wight Education Federation. Ed