Dear students, parents, carers, and community,
I write to you with wonderful news to share. As you are aware OFSTED inspectors visited our school in early March to complete a full OFSTED inspection.
It was our first inspection since 2018, and although inspections are intense and rigorous, it is a visit we welcomed given the hard work and commitment from our team to improve the outcomes for our students over the past 4 years.
I am delighted to announce that OFSTED found:
The quality of education – GOOD
Behaviours and attitudes – GOOD
Personal development – GOOD
Leadership and management – GOOD
Sixth-form provision – GOOD
OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS – GOOD!
The copy of the full report can be found at the bottom of this article
We are so delighted with this outcome. The team at Wombourne High School, with the tremendous support from Invictus Education Trust central team, have worked very hard to provide a good learning environment for our students, and this judgement verifies that work.
We feel passionately that Wombourne, and the wider community we serve, deserve a good school and we are extremely encouraged that September 2022 will see more students enrol with us than ever before.
OFSTED inspectors said “Wombourne High School is a calm and orderly school where pupils can flourish” and “Leaders are ambitious for every pupil. They have developed a broad, balanced curriculum to support this ambition. Teachers deliver the curriculum well”
Our students are at the heart of everything we do and it was great to see that the relationships we have developed were obvious to all: “Relationships between adults and pupils are positive. Pupils say staff know them well. They are confident that they will be supported if they have a problem”
Mr Tony Bowles, Invictus Education Trust Chief Executive Officer added: “What a time to be a part of the Wombourne High School community, we are very proud of the work that all the schools in our Trust do for our students and this unprecedented year of good, no, GREAT news at Wombourne is a reason to be cheerful. A brand new state of the art 3G pitch has just been opened, the news last year of the new build investment as part of the £11 billion national “School Rebuilding Programme” and now for the first time in over a decade OFSTED recognises Wombourne is a GOOD school. I know Dr Smith is very grateful to all involved but I would like to place on record my gratitude for her leadership as head of Wombourne High School.
Dr Smith has worked tirelessly with her team and left no stone unturned in creating a wonderful environment for students and staff. She will be sorely missed as a key part of the Invictus family. We welcome Miss Claire Powell to the role to continue Dr Smith’s great work, Miss Powell will have the full support of the Invictus central team behind her and we look forward to where the journey will take us”.
Incoming Headteacher, Claire Powell also added: "I am thrilled that Ofsted recognised that Wombourne High School is a good school where pupils can flourish. Whilst we should be proud of the journey the school community has been on, I am just as excited about the journey to come as we continue to strive for excellence for every pupil in our school. We are committed to continue developing the best possible provision for our pupils and will work tirelessly to build on these successes".
Mr Richard Westwood, chair of governors at Wombourne High School, has praised staff for their hard work: “to see the staff going the extra mile during the pandemic, and to see their fantastic work praised by Ofsted, is excellent”.
As Headteacher, I am extremely grateful to for the support of my team, our students, governing body, parents, carers and community, this has truly been a team effort and the wider support of the Invictus Education Trust has been significant. Thank-you.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wombourne High School, I thank you all for welcoming me into your community and will watch on with optimism and a keen interest as Miss Powell and the team take the school to new levels.
With very best wishes,
Dr Gemma Smith
Headteacher
Wombourne High School
A copy of the full OFSTED report can be found here: