Harington School’s first Ofsted report is outstanding

A sixth-form school that only opened its doors in September 2015 has been rated outstanding in its first Ofsted report.

Students, staff and governors are delighted with the report which was published on Monday, following a visit to the school, which is based on the same site as Catmose College in Oakham, last month.

Head of school John Harrison said: “We believe we have created something truly special at Harington and to have this validated externally in such a clear way is an incredible achievement.”

The school was established in partnership with Catmose College, Uppingham Community College and Oakham School as a member of the Rutland and District Schools’ Federation.

Executive principal Stuart Williams, who leads the federation, said: “For students to successfully progress to the best universities, Rutland needed a sixth form that focuses on academic A-levels complemented by high quality extra-curricular provision such as Duke of Edinburgh.”

Particular strengths identified by Ofsted included the effective collaboration between school leaders and excellent partnerships with local feeder schools.

The wealth of experience in education offered by Harington’s governors was also noted, as was the quality of support for students making decisions about higher education and careers.

Inspectors were also impressed with the students, with the report stating: “Students take a great deal of pride in their work and commit very seriously to their studies; they develop good independent learning skills and use these to enhance their subject knowledge, with striking impact on their progress.

“Students are highly motivated to learn and demonstrate a keen sense of enquiry in lessons; they have a very strong interest in their subjects and thrive in the academically challenging learning atmosphere.”

Headmaster of Oakham School, Nigel Lashbrook, added: “As a governor and Head of one of the sponsoring schools, I am immensely proud of all that has been achieved at Harington in such a short time.

“To be judged outstanding by Ofsted in only our second year is exceptional.

“The partnership work between Harington and Oakham, for example our collaborative work on careers and supporting future medical students, will become even more embedded in the years ahead as Harington continues to grow and flourish.”

And the headteacher of Uppingham Community College, Jan Turner, said: “I am delighted that Harington has received such an early endorsement of its success in providing the high quality post-16 education that all parties worked so hard to secure for the young people of Rutland.

“The opportunities that Harington provides for students from Uppingham Community College can only go from strength to strength.”

More than 75 per cent of the first cohort of Harington students are holding offers from Russell Group universities, and two students have been accepted into Oxford and Cambridge pending their results. According to the report, there are currently 53 students at the school, recruiting mainly from Catmose College and Uppingham Community College.