Rutherford house Ofsted report Post Reply

[Mum2Monkey]

Hello all,

I can't manage to post a link to the report.... but Rutherford House just got its first Ofsted report - Good with outstanding features.

My child is at the school and although there have been a few school uniform and admin glitches (which the head acknowledged at the parents meeting last night), I have been really pleased with the school.

I get very little info out of my child ..... However, my view is that the reception teachers are lovely, my child has settled well and although the head teacher seems pretty stern and focussed on academic achievement, the children all seem to like her (I'm told it is all down to stickers). The curriculum / learning seems very well balanced with a mix of maths, english, Spanish, PE, music, forest school, art as well as lots of time for play and there are a lot of after school clubs to choose from.

There is also a very pro-active parents group and the Trust / Governors seem heavily involved - so can't see why the school won't continue to do well and get its "outstanding" at the next Ofsted in 3 years.

My only criticism would be around strictness of uniform / sheer quantity required and the terrible admin - but to the extent that bothers me more than my child, I can't really complain!

I just thought other parents who are considering schools for next year might be interested in this. I know I found it very hard to choose a school (there are so many good ones in Balham) and with Rutherford being relatively new, it was harder to get info than for other schools.

[papinian]

The Ofsted report can be downloaded here:
http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection ... ELS/139775

It's not a criticism of the previous post, but although every second sentence of the report seems to use the word outstanding, on all five components of the report (leadership and management; behaviour and safety of pupils; quality of teaching; achievement of pupils; and early years provision) the school is rated good (rather than outstanding), which I would consider simply "good" rather than "good with outstanding features".

[Bodders1]

I don't think there is a school out there in either the state or independent sector that doesn't have some sort of niggles or others. If the main niggles are over uniform and admin then I would say that is a good thing...it would be far worse to have concerns over pastoral care, quality of teaching etc, leadership, ethos/values.

[CAM Bike]

When the ofsted inspector was in school, there was such a sense of excitement among the children and when I told my child the result she looked disappointed and said 'but we want to get 10 out of 10!' The children are the best indicators of a schools success, and at Rutherford each day is exciting, the curriculum is all connected across the subjects, spanish Cinderella performance as the year play, world day learning languages, cookery after school on a theme, autumn in the forest, poetry recitals to the mayor, here are so many events for them to shine at, and so many for parents too, the agm was packed with parents and there are already 27 volunteer parents helping with reading and supporting the children. If the children at ambitious for their school which it seems they are, then the staff only have to nurture and support that, and then with the support of the home army, that's us, we can get 15 out of 10 when the inspector calls again.