Sunderland school praised by Ofsted for ‘steadfast leadership’ during RAAC crisis

Jan 21, 2025

A primary school in Sunderland, which provided “steadfast leadership” during the enforced building closures due to the RAAC crisis, also creates a range of “tangible leadership experiences for pupils”.

Like many other schools across the country, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, which is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (BCCET), was forced to close due to the government’s announcement in September 2023 that any school which had reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) used in its buildings would have to close while safety mitigations were put in place.

Despite the challenges of having to close the school building and spreading the children across different sites, every pupil received face-to-face education throughout. The Sisters of Mercy kindly let Gabriel House, which is located next to St Anthony’s Catholic Academy, to be used as temporary classrooms to ensure face-to-face teaching could continue, and English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, also part of BCCET, made space for pupils to be taught by St John Bosco staff on site.

The school’s commitment to ensuring all pupils received high quality education throughout the transition has been praised by Ofsted in a recently published report.

Ofsted lead inspector Emily Stevens, who visited the school during the autumn term, said in her report: “During the last academic year, the school experienced significant disruption. Issues related to Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) meant the school building was unsafe. Steadfast leadership throughout this time ensured that pupils continued to learn.

“The school has successfully maintained its community ethos alongside a culture of high expectations despite these challenges. Staff are highly consistent in their work. Opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills of the staff team are purposeful and well matched to the needs of the school community. Leaders, including trustees and local governors, live out the strong vision of the school.”

The school’s pupils, whose behaviour is described as exemplary, respectful and polite in the report, also “take great delight” in their learning, embracing the ambitious curriculum. They feel safe in school and are well supported by “kind, caring adults” who know the school community “exceptionally well”. The children have a positive attitude to learning, listen attentively in class, value their peers’ contributions and they also take pride in welcoming new pupils and visitors to the school.

The school offers a range of “tangible leadership experiences” for pupils, for example, the health and safety team works with the school to keep pupils safe and curriculum ambassadors lead the organisation of parent workshops in maths.

“These opportunities are highly effective in supporting pupils to lead and work collaboratively with others,” added the report.

Headteacher Lianne Peart said: “We are extremely proud of our outcomes which are testament to the care and commitment of our staff, the support of our parents and carers and, of course, a celebration of our wonderful children.”

Ofsted carried out deep dives in early reading, maths, history and art during the inspection.

There are Nursery and Reception places available at St John Bosco Catholic Primary School. To arrange a visit and for more information, please visit www.stjohnboscosunderland.org.uk

For more information about BCCET, please visit www.bccet.org.uk

ENDS

Photo captions: Headteacher Lianne Peart with pupils of St John Bosco Catholic Primary School.

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