A Headteacher has expressed her delight after the latest Ofsted report saw her school retain its status.

Burrsville Infant Academy received its Ofsted report this month for the inspection that took place in November. The school retained its good status and headteacher Katie Siggery has commended pupils and staff for their efforts.

She said: “I’m really pleased with our report because everyone works so hard to provide the best opportunities for our children. “We were a little nervous before the inspection so it's nice to have the recognition from an external organisation. “We’ve got a great school community and strong relationships with our pupils and their families.”

The school is a Reach2 Academy Trust and has undertaken initiatives like 11 before 11 to support its pupils. The initiative lays out a set of promises before pupils reach 11 years of age that will enrich their experiences.

Burrsville has adapted the initiative to seven before seven as that is the oldest age of their pupils and an example of a promise is the camping trips the school has for its year two students in which they sleep under the stars in tents.

A celebration of Thrive

Miss Siggery added:

“We are also a THRIVE school of excellence and were only one of only 11 schools nationally to receive the accolade when we got it.

“THRIVE is a toolkit that lots of schools across the country use, it looks for gaps in pupil’s emotional intelligence.

“An assessment identifies those gaps and then we work with the children to fill them.

“We’ve got a practitioner and room dedicated to THRIVE with high quality resources that the children play with, it helps them control their emotions and express themselves.”

Kerry Siggery

The Ofsted report read: “Pupils love learning at Burrsville and enjoy the subjects they are taught in class. They especially like the visits they go on to places, like Colchester Castle, which help them learn even more.

“From the start of Reception, children learn independence and the routines of school. Pupils work hard to reach the high expectations staff have of them. They particularly like teachers challenging them to read new books.”

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