Gillian has celebrated with pupils and staff at Parklands Community Primary School following their recent successful Ofsted inspection.  

The primary school was once again awarded a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating, with inspectors highlighting “happy, confident and well mannered” pupils, a calm and respectful culture, and strong provision for children with special educational needs.  

The news of a positive inspection outcome has been a boost to the school following a challenging period which saw the resignation of its entire board of governors in 2022.  

More widely, Chichester has seen huge improvements in its educational offering in recent years. Figures from the Department for Education show that 92 per cent of schools in the area were rated as good or outstanding in 2022 compared to 78 per cent in 2010.   

Gillian, who is also the Secretary of State for Education, spent time with children in the school’s library, hearing about activities they had been involved in to mark Children’s Mental Health Week.  

Following her visit, Gillian said: “It was great to meet the children and staff here at Parklands Community Primary School. They should be incredibly proud of their recent inspection result which is symbolic as to how far education has come in our community over the last thirteen years.”  

“Huge credit must go to the staff and new board of governors who have steadied the ship in recent years to ensure children receive the very best primary education.”  

Head teacher Charlotte Angeli said: “I was very pleased to welcome our MP, Gillian, to the school to meet staff members and pupils.   

“I was so proud of the pupils who asked Gillian such interesting and pertinent questions. Gillian shared with the pupils her experience of starting out as an apprentice at age sixteen and the children asked about her role as our Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Education.”  

Chair of Governors, David Millican, said: “It was great to introduce Gillian to our new head teacher and other staff members following the recent positive visit from Ofsted.   

“The school has gone through a couple of difficult years, but to have our MP here to celebrate the hard work of everyone is a great marker of the first class education our school provides.”  

Gillian’s visit comes as she announced a new push to improve school attendance levels nationally.   

 Last Thursday saw the launch of a new system in which every state school in England will now share their daily attendance registers across the education sector - including with the Department for Education, councils, and trusts in the next stage of the Government’s drive to reduce pupil absence in school.  

The sharing of daily school registers will form a new world-leading attendance data set that will help schools spot and support children displaying worrying trends of persistent absence or those in danger of becoming missing in education.  

Speaking in her capacity as Secretary of State for Education, Gillian said: “Our fantastic schools and teachers unlock children’s imagination, potential, and social skills, which is why improving attendance is my number one priority.    

“We are taking that next step to further boost attendance and I want to thank those who are working with us including teachers and heads.”