Welcome to Lift Kingswood: a school that Ofsted says, 'greatly improves' pupils' life chances.
A school in east Hull is celebrating its latest Ofsted report, with one pupil describing life there as “magic”.
Lift Kingswood, part of the Lift Schools trust, was already judged as “good” at its last inspection. Now, it has achieved “outstanding” for ‘behaviour and attitudes’, ‘personal development’ and the ‘leadership and management’ of the school.
The school, says Ofsted inspectors, have the “highest expectations” for pupils who respond to this well by achieving “very highly”. In turn, pupils “have an exceptional experience” at Kingswood, benefitting from a wide range of opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom - from chess club and drumming to dance and brass band. Furthermore, students are encouraged to “move out of their comfort zone” by trying different experiences, such as a 10K run, volunteering for charities or trying to converse in a non-European language.
Pupil behaviour is “exceptionally calm” and students “behave impeccably well” with inspectors noting that students feel safe, have “strong relationships with their peers” and “trusted relationships” with staff. The students are described as “highly motivated” with “traits of empathy and resilience far beyond their age”. Pupils also take responsibility for certain areas of the school such as the school farm, where student leaders will teach their peers about animal welfare and the correct handling of animals in their care.
Richard Westoby, Principal of Lift Kingswood, said: “This Ofsted report is a fantastic read and I am delighted for our students. They work so hard and are so passionate and proud of their school; they fully deserve to be recognised in this way. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them and they are a genuine inspiration to us all.
A special thank you must also go to our phenomenal team of teachers, support staff, leaders and our Trust. They are all tremendously dedicated, hard-working and passionate about changing the life chances of our students by supporting each and every one of them to achieve their fullest potential.
Finally, a huge thank you to our parents, carers and the local community for their support and for believing in the school’s staff and leaders. They have played an integral role in this outcome and the school couldn’t have achieved this level of high performance without them.”
Ofsted praised the curriculum at Kingswood and the assessment of pupils' knowledge in lessons. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are “particularly well supported” say inspectors, with the school providing accurate and appropriate support. The report said pupils are “confident and articulate” in conversation and in their ability to discuss complex subjects and ideas. They also noted that reading has rapidly improved.
The school is commended for its “great ambition” for their pupils who are taught to have “high aspirations and never give up”. The subjects that pupils are able to study give them “strong opportunities for the future”, say inspectors.
Stating “the school greatly improves the life chances of pupils”, report authors highlighted that students are “well prepared” for leaving Kingswood to progress to education, training or employment.
Craig Nicholson, Regional Education Director for Lift Schools, said: “Congratulations to Richard, the staff team and all of the community at Lift Kingswood for this impressive report. To see Ofsted recognise that we have improved the life chances for every pupil is central to our mission at Lift Schools, in giving every child an excellent education, in every class, every day at school.”
To see Ofsted recognise that we have improved the life chances for every pupil is central to our mission at Lift Schools, in giving every child an excellent education, in every class, every day at school.”
Hull Daily Mail
by Deborah Hall
January 2025
Everyone can be successful; always set and expect the highest standards
Diversity is celebrated; no one is left behind
Create solutions not excuses; accelerate progress
Resilience is essential; turn challenges into opportunities
Good quality feedback drives improvement
Outstanding learning in every lesson, every day
Our trust is made up of 57 primary, secondary and special schools, educating more than 33,000 pupils across the country – from Middlesbrough in the north to Devon in the west, Essex in the east and the Isle of Wight in the south. The majority of our schools are rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Find out more about Lift Schools
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