Headteacher Elise Piper-Hadfield with some of the pupils in the school orchard
A school described as ‘a true community’ by parents, where pupils have a strong sense of what is right or wrong, has been praised by Government inspectors.
Longford CofE Primary School has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted with headteacher Elise Piper-Hadfield taking pride in comments on the way leaders give ‘high priority’ to pupils’ personal development, ensuring pupils know ‘the importance of treating people fairly and with respect, including those of different faith, heritage or lifestyle.’
The report highlighted the fact that ‘pupils are enthusiastic about learning’, that the curriculum is broad and ambitious’ and how pupils having ‘many opportunities to learn about the world around them’.
“We’re a small school with a close team who support each other, and that really came through in the report,” said Mrs Piper-Hadfield, who has been in charge of the village school, near Ashbourne, for almost two years.
“But perhaps the comment about how we prioritise the personal development of the pupils is what I’m most proud of. We have worked hard to diversify the curriculum taught here at Longford, attracting praise from other schools in the county for making pupils aware of real-world issues.
“The subjects covered centre around topics such as female activists, the environment, refugees and the Windrush generation. We have welcomed educator Clare Francis-Slater and her dad, Cass, into school to talk about diversity in the UK; Cass was a part of the Windrush generation who came to Britain from Jamaica aged 16 and Clare – whose mother is white British – was educated in a rural Derbyshire school where diversity wasn’t embraced.
“And this month, we have been celebrating Pride month through sharing stories and planting rainbow-coloured flowers in our brand-new school orchard. For a small, village school, preparing pupils for life in Modern Britain is important.”
The school became part of the Embark Federation, which oversees 17 schools in the county, in August 2019 and Mrs Piper-Hadfield became head in September 2021, having taught previously at the school.
They currently have 50 pupils on roll between the ages of 4 and 11 and will welcome their biggest cohort of Reception children in September.
“We are excited to welcome eight new families into our school in September,” said Mrs Piper-Hadfield.
“The benefit of being a small school means that teaching is personalised and that our school is very much a part of the community.
“Next month we will be taking part in World Reading Together Day, where we invite the school community to join the children and take part in an English-themed orienteering event; they will be given maps and there will be posts around Longford with extracts from various books printed on them for children to find.”
Reading was another topic praised by Ofsted who said that ‘the promotion of reading is strong’ and that ‘staff check pupils’ reading skills often.’ Inspectors also described the school as ‘radiating a welcoming, friendly and inclusive ethos’ and had words of encouragement for school Governors who ‘have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and improvement priorities’ and its staff. One member of staff said that ‘being at Longford is like being part of a family.’
Despite the glowing report, Mrs Piper-Hadfield is keen to improve the outdoor learning environment.
They have recently been given the use of their neighbours’ orchard which they plan to develop over the coming months.
“Outdoor learning helps to improve physical and mental health, and is key to the development of key Early Years skills,” added Mrs Piper-Hadfield.
“The use of the orchard will enable us to expand our outdoor learning facilities even further and we’re extremely grateful to our neighbours for allowing us to use it.
“The children love visiting the orchard – which is also home to eight chickens – and it’s certainly been a fantastic addition to our offering here at Longford CofE Primary School.”
