Lostwithiel School wins Ofsted’s rare exceptional rating

Ofsted inspectors don’t hand out “exceptional” lightly. At Lostwithiel School, they gave it for behaviour and attendance, and struggled to find much to fault anywhere else they looked either.

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A rare ‘exceptional’ verdict for behaviour and attendance

Inspectors visited the school on Bodmin Hill in June and published their findings under Ofsted’s new-style report format, which no longer hands out a single headline word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Instead, schools are judged across seven separate areas.

Lostwithiel came away with the top “Exceptional” grade for attendance and behaviour, a rating Ofsted gives to only around 2% of schools nationally. Every other area, from achievement to early years to leadership, was judged “Strong”.

The report describes staff’s “exceptional care, support and expertise” and says pupils “simply love coming to school”. It notes that persistent absence is “extremely low” and that pupils’ behaviour “begins in the early years”, with older children acting as “superb role models” for younger ones.

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Achievement across the curriculum

Inspectors found pupils “typically achieve above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics”, with disadvantaged pupils also achieving well. The report credits a broader curriculum than the school had when it was last inspected in May 2022, describing it as “now an ambitious and broad curriculum across all subjects”.

Teachers were praised for how they “expertly support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers”, with the report noting that “any child who needs it gets targeted teaching, so no one falls behind”.

The report also points to leadership and governance as a strength, with those responsible for governance providing “robust challenge and support” that keeps “the school moving in the right strategic direction”.

What the school and trust say

Headteacher Elaine Badger said the outcome reflected the work of her staff.

“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of our inspection, it reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff to provide an exceptional educational experience for our pupils,” she said. “Our team know that Lostwithiel Primary is a very special place and the inspectors recognised and celebrated this during their time with us. We are incredibly proud.”

Lostwithiel is part of Cornwall Education Learning Trust, or CELT. Responding to the report, the trust’s chief executive, Dan Morrow, said the success belonged to the school itself.

“We couldn’t be prouder of what Lostwithiel School has achieved. This is their success, and it is richly deserved,” Dan said. “As a trust, CELT exists to support schools to be all that they can be for children, families and communities. So it’s great to see that inspectors recognised our approach is effective, especially the excellent training and development we offer all our teachers through our Centre of Excellence, our focus on wellbeing and our efforts to reduce workload.”

“But what makes this kind of success possible is that we don’t tell schools what to do. Instead, we try to provide what they say they need, and we create the space for them to support each other by sharing their strengths. Lostwithiel’s team are already sharing theirs with other schools across CELT and well beyond our trust, and this report is a testament to their hard work.”

One area still to work on

The report was not without a note for improvement. Inspectors found the maths curriculum and teaching “not as fully developed as other areas” and recommended leaders continue strengthening it “so they match the scope, richness and ambitions of English and wider curriculum subjects”. The report notes this is already next in line for the school’s own cycle of improvement work.

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For families in Lostwithiel and the surrounding villages, the school also runs a Tiny Trees Nursery for children from the age of two, making use of outdoor space and an extensive forest school.

Enquiries about visits and admissions can be directed to school secretary Rebecca Charnock on 01208 872339 or [email protected]. The full report is expected on Ofsted’s website within a few working days of the school sharing it.

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