Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

I am pleased to share our Ofsted report following the inspection on 27th March. I would like to thank you all for your support on the day of the inspection, and for your ongoing support, which we never take for granted.

We are delighted that the inspectors recognised some of what makes St. Mark’s so special.

On the day, the lead inspector asked me what our "Area for Improvement" should be, as she hadn’t identified anything specific during the inspection—but each report must include at least one area under “What does the school need to improve?”

I suggested that we highlight the ongoing staff training we’ve been doing in specific subjects, which ensures our team stays up to date across all areas of the curriculum. This year we’ve delivered subject-specific training in Science, Music, French, Art, Design Technology, Maths and English.

The inspector commented that this was a strength and is helping our staff deliver even better lessons. I explained that this training is part of a rolling programme, with Physical Computing (e.g. micro:bits and Raspberry Pis) and Geography fieldwork planned for next year.

It was agreed this would be included in the report as the area to continue developing.

We are very proud of everything we do at St. Mark’s and confident that it gives our children the best possible start to their education.

We hope you enjoy reading the report. Please feel free to speak to me if you’d like to know more.

Many thanks,
Laura Kelsey
Headteacher