Orrell Holgate Primary School

Dear Parents

Choosing a primary school for your son or daughter is a very important decision, and there are many factors that you will want to consider but, above all, you will want your child to be happy and to be as successful as he/she can be.

In  2001 Orrell Holgate Primary School was awarded a central government Achievement Award for Excellence and in November 2006 OFSTED's overall judgement was that ‘Inspectors agree with the school that it provides a good standard of education.’ One happy parent put it this way: ‘Holgate is a wonderful school where all staff help children reach their full potential.’  The inspectors identified many things that the school performs well and specifically noted the following strengths:

• Pupils’ well-being, personal development and academic achievement are good;

• Pupils  enjoy school very much and, as a result, behaviour is exemplary and attendance is consistently above average;

• The relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful and this means that pupils live up to high expectations of behaviour and work;

• Pupils benefit from good care and support and they are very clear that they are safe and secure in school;

• Pupils’ achievement and progress are good and sets them up well for  future learning and life beyond the school;

• Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress;

•  All in the school make a strong contribution to its smooth running;

• Leadership of the school is strong and ambitious and, as a result, there is a strong track record in national tests over several years;

• The school continues to serve its community well and provide good value for money;

• The school has a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement. These are shown in its good self-evaluation and development plans. These plans are a particularly effective tool for moving the school forward in the clear success criteria that are measurable.

• Consequently, the school enjoys the support of a hardworking governing body and of parents, and is well placed to improve further.

In 2003 Orrell Holgate became a National top 200 School for Level 5 achievement and was recognised by Sport England for our commitment to physical activity and sporting provision by being awarded Activemark Gold 2003-06. In 2004 school opened a brand new all-weather multi use games area with a 20 place car park for school and local community use. The school has had a KS1-KS2 Value Added score of 101.1+ in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 100+ in 2006 and 2007.  The school was awarded a National Leading Aspect Award for Developing Learning Capacity through Partnership & Collaboration  in December 2005 along with the 11 other partner schools. The school was awarded National Healthy Schools Status in October 2007.

Orrell Holgate Primary School is a successful school and I am extremely grateful to everyone who continues to offer support in the many areas of school life.

Yours sincerely,

Michael G Wilson

Headteacher