Sheffield is top of the class as city records its best set of Ofsted results

The education watchdog Ofsted released the findings for schools, nurseries and children’s services in England last week as part of its annual report for the 2018/19 academic year.

Results revealed there had been considerable improvement in Sheffield schools in the past four years, rising from just over 76 per cent of schools rated ‘good’ or better in 2016 to around 83 per cent in the past year – the highest proportion the city has ever seen.

The latest figures put the city just below the national average of around 86 per cent.

Stephen Betts, chief executive of Learn Sheffield, said: “Sheffield has consistently been amongst the best performing core cities in terms of pupil outcomes and so it is terrific to now see this reflected in Ofsted outcomes.

“This is the highest proportion or good and outstanding schools that Sheffield has had since Ofsted began inspecting schools in the way that it does now.

“The gap between Sheffield and national was ten percentage points only four years ago – so we have been closing the gap quickly.

“Clearly we would want to see Sheffield ahead of the national figure so there remains much to do but we should recognise the hard work and dedication of all of our schools and congratulate them on these improvements.”

Over 5,500 school inspections took place across England in 2018/19, according to the report by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman.

In Sheffield, 49 inspections were conducted in the same period with more than 87 per cent resulting in 'good’ or better outcomes.

Staff at Carterknowle Junior School, in Millhouses, recently celebrated after the school went from being rated as ‘requires improvement’ to good in its last inspection.

Helen Haynes, executive headteacher of the Holt House and Carterknowle Schools Federation, said: “I am delighted that Carterknowle has been judged to be a ‘good’ school by Ofsted. Carterknowle is a lovely school in which children achieve well and it is great that Ofsted agrees. I am very proud of the school, the staff and especially the children."

Figures also revealed that some 68 per cent of secondary schools are currently rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

Meanwhile, primary school inspections have been credited as being “key” to Sheffield’s improvement, with around 86 per cent now achieving one of the top two Ofsted ratings, only slightly behind England’s figure of just over 87 per cent.

Councillor Abtisam Mohamed, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “It is great to see an improvement in our schools. The Ofsted report demonstrates our commitment to the number of children and young people attending good schools, a key factor in enhancing a child’s success in life. With our teachers, school staff and our partners we have all worked hard to start to see positive changes.

“We are currently developing a new education strategy which will build on this work and invest further in Sheffield education.”