'Pupils love learning' at Derbyshire school rated 'good' in Ofsted report

In their report, inspectors said: “Pupils love learning in this school. They are happy and they feel safe. They talk with clear enthusiasm about learning new knowledge. They behave well and respectfully.”

It was noted that leaders are ambitious for all pupils and that staff at the school, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, are a strong team. Positive relationships between pupils were praised, including those in the early years and parents and carers are happy with the care provided.

The quality of education at Christ the King, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, early years provision and the school’s overall effectiveness have all been rated ‘good’ following the inspection on November 15 and 16, last year.

Pupils’ behaviour was praised and pupils’ personal development was described as a “strength of the school”.

Megan Watts, Headteacher at Christ the King, said: “We are incredibly pleased with the outcome of the inspection and with this report. We feel it reflects the hard work of all our children, staff and governors. The inspection has not only validated our journey so far, it has also supported us in continuing to shape our vision for the future of our school. We are excited to continue that journey as a school community.”

Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, added: “We are delighted for everyone at Christ the King and it is fantastic to see that all of the hard work done to ensure that pupils receive the very best education has been recognised in the report. Congratulations and well done to everyone involved.”

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and children make a good start with their phonics from the beginning of the early years and pupils describe reading as “diving into an adventure”, according to the report.

Inspectors noted that maths is taught through a well-planned curriculum and they said that pupils who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs learn well alongside their peers.

Arrangements for safeguarding were found to be effective.