News Stories

Minerva Primary School was delighted to receive a donation of 40 books to the library, generously given by local firm of chartered accountants A C Mole as part of their 120 years celebration. The firm pledged to donate 120 books to three local primary schools, and presented Minerva with a list of 40 books including many children’s classics as well as some newer books.

Staff had a great time unpacking the box and reminiscing over some old favourites, such as The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy and Bumpus Jumpus Dinosaurumpus. We are equally looking forward to sharing them with our children. We were also thrilled to receive several titles which will expand our new diversity section.

Headteacher Gareth Nation said: “We are delighted to receive this generous donation of books from A C Mole, which will make a very welcome addition to our library. Many of our children only have access to books through lending libraries, and this gift will help them to develop a love of reading from as young an age as possible, which will be of huge benefit to them in later life”.

Minerva Primary School ensures rapid improvements in its quality of education, leadership and management.

Minerva Primary School is part of The Redstart Learning Partnership and has made rapid improvements in recent months. In a recent inspection (November 2022), OFSTED recognised that the school has made considerable progress and commended the school for it being a positive place to learn. The inspectors identified the strong culture of learning and high expectations of behaviour. ‘Behaviour and Attitudes’ and ‘Personal Development’ were judged as ‘Good’.

“Pupils are proud to be part of their school. They have positive attitudes toward learning. Staff give pupils the confidence to not give up when they find learning tricky”.

Head of School (Mr Gareth Nation) said, “I joined the school in September 2021 and we have focused relentlessly on our Vision and Values. I am proud and privileged to work with such a committed team. We constantly focus on improving the school and we know which areas to prioritise next. Knowing our strengths and what we need to improve are vital to ensuring Minerva Primary School continues to grow in strength. The OFSTED inspectors identified the same areas as the Senior Leadership Team and agreed that we have planned to focus on the right priorities.”

‘Leaders, including trustees, know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement’.

The report recognises that leaders, trustees, parents/carers and the staff are all working in unison to see the continued improvements at the school. Furthermore, the school has recently won two awards for its improved attendance; it is now performing in the top 10% of schools nationally.

‘Leaders are ambitious for pupils’ learning…Leaders have developed a clearly sequenced curriculum…’

The OFSTED team identified that the school teaches a broad and balanced curriculum; the planning, teaching and learning in Reading, Writing, Maths (and some other foundation subjects) is well planned and well taught. The Assistant Head of School, Mrs Kate Caldecott, has helped lead the team to ensure a coherent curriculum is embedded in every subject. She has significantly contributed to the ethos and direction of the school.

‘Staff are quick to spot pupils who need additional support’.

Inspectors recognised the number of children who benefit from additional support in school. This is significantly above the national average and they praised the school SENCo (Mrs Rachelle Billington) for her leadership of the staff, ensuring the inclusion of all children in all classes.

‘Leaders’ work ‘beyond the school gates’, with families and the local community is a strength of the school. Leaders are tenacious in their pursuit of support for the school’s most vulnerable pupils.’

Mrs Debbie Glenn (Safeguarding Officer) works closely with children and their families. She has been instrumental in the support provided for the children and their families. The school were thrilled to see this recognised during the inspection and were rightly praised for their efforts and impact on the community it serves.

Gareth Nation (Head of School) added, “every member of staff at Minerva Primary School shows an unfaltering commitment to understanding, supporting and nurturing children to be the best they can be. They embrace the challenges we face as a school and crucially, believe that children and adults can achieve more than they realise. Schools are absolutely necessary but they are not sufficient – this team goes above and beyond and holds the children at its very heart.”

Suzanne Flack, CEO praised the team at Minerva saying ‘They go above and beyond every day to offer our pupils the best opportunities possible. To have this recognised by OFSTED is really pleasing. The last few years have presented many challenges in schools but Gareth and his team have worked tirelessly to support all our pupils and families. The school is a happy, positive place in which to learn. It is great to see the pupils are so proud of their school as we are all so proud of them.’

The support from The Redstart Learning Partnership, its senior leaders and staff of the school has ensured the school continues on its path of accelerated progress and is growing in strength each day.