Ofsted reports bring new year cheer to two Haringey primary schools

St Michael's Church of England Primary School on Bounds Green Road, N22 was inspected by Ofsted in late October and has now been judged to be "good" in all areas. An improvement on the school's previous "satisfactory" judgement in 2009.

St Michael's partner school St Ann's Church of England Primary School in Avenue Road, N15 was inspected in September and also received a judgement of "good" in all areas.

The two schools have been working together in a soft federation under the executive leadership of Linda Sarr since January 2010.

During the two day inspection of St Michaels, Ofsted inspectors found that: "All groups of pupils make good progress from their starting points because of good teaching… pupils are clear about their goals and how to improve".

Inspectors also noted that: "Teaching has improved since the previous inspection and there is some high quality practice. The needs of all pupils are met through good quality resources and effective planning."

St Michael's Ofsted judgement is in line with a rapid rate of improvement in pupils' attainment and achievement. In the 2011/12 academic year St Michael's students made the most progress between Year 2 and Year 6 compared to all other schools in the borough.

St Ann's Church of England Primary School inspection result maintained the school as a "Good" school; a status it has held since 1997. Inspectors found that the school is "led well by an executive head teacher and a head of school, supported by a strong team of leaders and managers" and that "teaching and learning across the school are good. Some teaching, especially in developing literacy in subjects other than English, is outstanding."

Executive Head teacher Linda Sarr said she felt that Ofsted's judgements were well deserved and reflected the commitment of the excellent staff at both schools, she said: "We have some absolutely fantastic, dedicated and hard working staff and governors at both St Ann's and St Michael's. And some very talented children and engaged parents and carers.

"The reports endorse our strong view that the joint working through our federation of schools has significantly improved outcomes of our children. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our school communities."

One parent commenting on Ofsted's new online questionnaire "Parent View" said: "St Michael's is a good school because it has a friendly family atmosphere with plenty of smiles. The school celebrates diversity, concerns are dealt with immediately and children are taken seriously."

Gabriel, aged 10 from St Ann's said he thought going to school at St Ann's was "great". He said: "Our school is great, because it's such a welcoming and warm community to be in."

Gabriel enjoys Art and RE lessons best, saying "My dad is a preacher at St Mark's Methodist Church on Tottenham High Road. I really enjoy learning about and comparing different religions. Like Judaism. We have some really good religious debates at our school."

Cavalli, aged 6 from St Michael's said he enjoyed Maths classes the most. He said, "I like adding up and I'm getting really good at angles, I know what a right angle is."

He added: "I like literacy and spelling tests too. I made up a really good Christmas story this week, and I get ten out ten quite a lot in the tests. When we do well, we get rewards, like watching a film and eating popcorn. If we do well at the end of this term, we're going to have a Christmas party!"

Cllr Ann Waters, Cabinet Member for Children, Haringey Council said she was delighted for everyone at the two schools, she said: "Congratulations to everyone at St Michael's and St Ann's, the inspection outcomes are thoroughly deserved.

"We have an ever growing number of schools rated as Outstanding and Good by Ofsted. Haringey primary school children are better prepared for secondary schools than ever before with the number of 11 year olds reaching the standard expected of them in both English and Maths increasing again in 2012."