Sent in by Lorna Button

Staff and pupils at Blackminster Middle School are celebrating a 'double whammy' of the opening of two new state of the art laboratories, as part of a huge refurbishment funded by WCC, alongside a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted following a short inspection on 9th October this year.

Head teacher, Lorna Button, is delighted that the inspectors celebrated the many strengths of our school including the rich curriculum, the impeccable behaviour of Balckminster pupils and the good progress made in all subjects, including English and maths.

At one stage the future of Blackminster looked uncertain due to age range changes made by some First schools but WCC firmly backed the school by invested almost a million pounds in new facilities, including two new laboratories, a new DT area and Food technology room plus a graphics and textiles room. Blackminster Middle School will have some of the best science and technology facilities in the county once the work is completed in February 2019.

Ofsted praised the resilience of school leaders and recognised the way this had " contributed to sustained improvement in pupils' progress" since the previous inspection. "Staff have maintained a welcoming and secure culture throughout the school" and "they have ensured pupils behave well, and as a result, the overwhelming majority enjoy coming to school and have a positive attitude to learning."

The full report can be seen on the schools' website.