A West Midlands school has completed an extraordinary educational journey, transforming from a 'requires improvement' institution to one now celebrated as among the best in the region.
From Improvement Notice to Outstanding Praise
St Alphege Church of England School in Solihull has received the highest possible praise from Ofsted inspectors, being rated as 'outstanding' in three out of four areas during its most recent inspection. This remarkable achievement comes nearly three years after the junior school was handed the second-lowest rating of 'requires improvement' following its January 2023 inspection.
The turnaround represents the culmination of years of dedicated work by school leaders who have overseen the complete transformation of the school's fortunes. In a double success story, both the junior school and the infant and nursery school received top ratings from the education watchdog.
The Elements of Success
According to the newly published report, the school has fostered "respectful, warm and inclusive" relationships between staff and pupils that form the foundation of its success. Children were recognised for their "impressive" behaviour and "exceptional" personal development, with inspectors particularly noting their strong sense of responsibility, leadership qualities and community spirit.
The report stated: "Pupils are proud to attend this ambitious, nurturing school. The school has high expectations, and pupils rise to meet them. Pupils achieve very well. Relationships are incredibly respectful, warm and inclusive. Pupils feel safe, listened to and valued. They know that staff genuinely care about them."
Leadership and Vision Driving Change
The transformation has been spearheaded by executive headteacher Sam Smith, under whose leadership the school has undergone what inspectors described as a "period of rapid change and improvement."
Ofsted noted that the school "swiftly identified weaknesses and prioritised the right things," with pupils and staff sharing the same vision for excellence and how to achieve it.
Speaking about the achievement, Sam Smith said: "We are incredibly proud that both of our schools have been recognised so positively by Ofsted. These hard-earned reports reflect the dedication, expertise and compassion of our staff teams, the enthusiasm of our pupils and the support of our families and school community."
Smith emphasised that at both St Alphege Infant and Nursery and St Alphege Junior Schools, the focus remains on helping every child flourish – academically, personally and spiritually. She added that seeing this commitment reflected in the inspection outcomes is "hugely rewarding for our whole community."
