Leeds high school with 'exemplary leadership' scores first Ofsted outstanding after opening in 1853

Mount St Mary's Catholic High School, located on Ellerby Road, East End Park, was rated Outstanding in all four inspected inspected areas - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management.

First opening as a convent and orphanage in 1853, it was the school’s first full five-star Ofsted rating since records began in 2000.

Almost 80 per cent of the school’s intake are reported to reside in postcodes in the nation’s top 10 per cent of areas with the most socio-economic deprivation.

The education watchdog said: “Mount St Mary’s Catholic High School has a deep community spirit. Pupils enjoy coming to this highly inclusive school. Pupils benefit from a broad and ambitious curriculum.

“Pupils feel happy and safe in the school. They behave extremely well. The school encourages pupils to be respectful and supportive to each other. As a result, bullying is very rare.”

Ofsted reports that pupils learn from a “rich and well-developed curriculum.” Carefully designed to build knowledge and skills, it also has a clear focus to support pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils to excel.

Pupils develop “strong and purposeful relationships” with staff, while the “rich and varied personal development” programme is described by inspectors as a “strength of the school’s work.”

They added: “Staff expertly deliver the curriculum. This ensures that pupils progress well from their starting points when they join the school. Pupils confidently apply the knowledge and skills that they learn to their classwork and wider learning.

“Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school. They speak knowledgeably about diversity, culture and faith. They learn about healthy relationships and the importance of consent.”

The school’s “leadership is exemplary,” according to Ofsted and it is “proactively supported” by the diocese, the local authority and governors.

Staff receive “continuing professional development” to further strengthen their practice and ensure pupils are safeguarded.

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Head Teacher Mark Cooper said: “We are delighted that the team of inspectors recognised the significant strengths of the student body, brought to fruition by a focused and committed team of staff both teaching and non-teaching.

“We work hard for the benefit of our students and their families, believing they deserve the best footing in life, seeking to level the challenge of an inconsistent playing field, so that they can compete with those from more privileged beginnings.

“Whilst the findings are derived from Ofsted’s two-day process, the outcomes and impact are the product of tireless commitment over a protracted period of time. This is not the end but a timely recognition of sustained high-quality provision. The whole community will build upon these findings and continue to champion the successes of our wonderful students.”