Northumberland middle school's double inspection success

Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School was first inspected by Ofsted on April 26 and then under the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) framework on May 10.

The Ofsted ‘short’ inspection report, published last week, concluded that the school continues to be good as ‘highly-effective senior leaders, middle leaders and teachers ensure that the majority of pupils, whatever their starting points, make good progress and those who need to catch up do so quickly’.

The school’s SIAMS inspection was the school’s first of its kind since 2011 and the report stated that in the intervening five years, the school had moved from good to outstanding. The report praised the school’s Christian ethos and pastoral care.

Headteacher Liam Murtagh said: “Both reports are testament to the hard work of the school’s students, staff and governors. We are delighted that the inspections commend our school’s greatest asset – our students.

“We will continue to improve our work in order to ensure that we provide excellent education in the Upper Coquet Valley.”

Chairman of governors, Sylvia Crane, added: “These are challenging times for schools with the new curriculum and changing government policy. I am exceptionally pleased that our team at Dr Thomlinson’s has maintained focus of providing high-quality education to each individual child and that this quality has been recognised in two inspections.”