Derby school lauded by inspectors

Ofsted has praised a Derby school for the "positive impact" of the new schemes it has implemented since the inspector's last visit.

Pear Tree Community Junior had its special measures status removed after head teacher Maddie Oldershaw made alterations to the running of the school to improve its performance.

Patricia Cox, Ofsted's reporting inspector, said: "The positive impact of several new initiatives has become apparent, demonstrating that the school is soundly placed to improve further."

She also praised Mrs Oldershaw's "clear educational direction", commended the assistant head teachers for the support they provided and drew attention to the way the school teaches English to pupils who are new to the language

The Ofsted report reveals that 80 per cent of the school's pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and 70 per cent have a language other than English as their first, with 22 different languages being spoken by attendees.

In related news, Ofsted has also praised the progress made by Green Oaks Primary School in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, and highlighted its "warm and caring environment".