Not only did Mary Redburn attend Viscount Beaumont's Primary School in Coleorton, near Coalville, but so did her dad, her granddad, her three children and her grandchildren.

The 84-year-old has been working there since 1981 - and joined as a pupil in April 1945.

To mark her last day on Wednesday 6 December, the school organised a leaving day with banners and balloons around the site.

Ms Redburn said: "I've thoroughly enjoyed it, and I've always felt part of the team. It's an absolutely lovely place to work. 

"You get to know all the new people that come to live in the village that I wouldn't meet if I wasn't doing that job.

"I love the children and the parents."

The school has been in Ms Redburn's life for as long as she can remember, having been born just up the road.

It was an honour for the children to present Mary with presents and cards, following an assembly talking about the impact she had, and the children shared heart-warming stories and poems. 

She will be greatly missed at the school, on behalf of all the children, staff and Rise, thank you Mary and all the luck for the future.

You can read the full ITV news article here.

Credit: ITV news / Nancy Cole

Staff at Viscount Beaumont are celebrating maintaining the school’s ‘Good’ Ofsted rating. 

 

An Ofsted inspection at Viscount Beaumont C of E Primary School, of Ashby Road, Coleorton has judged that the school has successfully maintained its ‘Good’ rating, following a two-day inspection on 10th and 11th October 2023. 

 

Inspectors found that Viscount Beaumont C of E Primary was a “small but mighty school that pupils are incredibly proud of” after the inspection at the start of the new school term. The inspectors also ranked behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision as ‘Outstanding.’ Hayley Ryder-Smith, Head of School, said; ‘We are so proud that the report reflects the vision that we have for our pupils and staff to flourish and succeed.’ 

 

Inspectors recognised many strengths in the school including: ‘Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary,’ ‘They are highly courteous and well mannered’ ‘The school is well led and managed.’ and that ‘Pupils learn about the wide range of beliefs and cultures.’  

Viscount Beaumont’s joined Rise multi-academy trust in June 2022. The school had had a visit from Ofsted inspectors in October 2019, when the school was in a different trust, and inspectors had several concerns that the school might not be good. Mark Cole, CEO at Rise, ‘We are delighted that inspectors came back to Viscount Beaumont and saw the strengths that we see. Staff and local governors have worked tirelessly to improve the school and we completely agree with the pupil quoted in the report who described the school as ‘small but mighty.’ We worked hard in the early months to assure parents that we would improve all facets of their school quickly and we are thrilled that Ofsted could see that.’ 

 

Jo Westaby, Executive Headteacher at Viscount Beaumont's C of E Primary School, said: ‘we are so pleased that Ofsted recognised the many strengths of our lovely school.’ 

 

You can view the full Ofsted report here: https://tinyurl.com/mr2sufmr  

To learn more about the school click here: https://www.viscountbeaumonts.leics.sch.uk/ 

On Tuesday 27th June, Year 4 children from across 21 Leicestershire schools came together at The Venue, De Montfort University to perform a range of hit musical songs to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion. The children had been practicing for the past few weeks individually before coming together on the day for the first time to rehearse and perform. 

 

Pupils only had one singing workshop with the choral leads from Leicestershire Schools Music Service; Nicki Atkins and Emma Burns, who organised and prepared the esteemed event, before coming together to form a 400+ Rise Choir, performing on stage in front of delighted staff, friends and family. 

 

The spectacular event, forms part of the Trust’s commitment to providing a Pupil Charter for every child – offering opportunities and experiences that enrich pupils’ learning throughout their time at primary school. A parent commented ‘I felt so proud to be part of the Rise family of schools! Thank you for giving the children that opportunity.’ Another commented ‘The children were phenomenal! I sat there in awe of what I was hearing... Certainly an experience I will never forget’  

 

The trust's vision is for each pupil to flourish and succeed, and that is what they did as they sang 9 songs from movies including The Lion King, Moana and The Greatest Showman, accompanied by an exceptional live band. The children shared some of their academic achievements during the year through a moving slideshow. 

 

Showcasing their sign language skills, a highlight of the night was the children's performance of ‘Colours of the Wind’ from Pocahontas in which they sang and signed using British Sign Language the chorus of the song. This was important to both children and staff to promote inclusivity and diversity, one of Rise’s main visions.  

 

A member of staff from one of the schools also praised ‘They have had firsthand experience of what it means to belong to Rise. Their confidence has blossomed in so many ways’, with another staff member saying ‘the children shared a love of music and feeling of belonging in the Rise family.’  

Thank you to the superb sponsors; ideal care homes, Hormann and Johnson Astills.  

 

Mark Cole, CEO of Rise Multi Academy Trust said “In total we welcomed an audience of over 800 and were overwhelmed with the positive responses received. It was a powerful example of how, as a Trust family, we can work together to achieve many amazing things, creating memories that will last a lifetime for our pupils.” 

 

Julie Hopkins, Executive Headteacher of the Trust's Vale of Belvoir schools and project lead for the occasion, said: “I am so proud of how the children embraced this opportunity to work together as one big Rise family. They sang beautifully and it was clear to see the powerful impact the experience had on them and the audience. Special thanks to the many teachers who worked so hard to prepare the children”. 

 

The pupils and staff at Viscount Beaumont’s CofE Primary School are celebrating after receiving confirmation of their ‘Good’ rating following their recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) report. 

 

A SIAMS inspection is much like an Ofsted inspection, but assesses how effective a Christian vision is, and how that vision is enabling pupils and staff to flourish. 

 

During their visit, the inspector concluded that: “Viscount Beaumont’s historic Christian vision is strong and deeply embedded… [it] enables the whole school community to participate, enjoy and achieve. As a result, everyone is celebrated and welcomed in an atmosphere of innate Christian love.”

 

The report continues: “The strong sense of ‘valuing all God’s children’ underpins relationships at all levels…All pupils are flourishing because they are each seen as being unique individuals known fully by each member of staff in school. All are nurtured and recognise they can be listened to in a culture of mutual respect and gentleness.”

 

Amongst their positive feedback the inspector also found that:

 

• Pupils are confident and succeed in an environment of Christian love where they are challenged but allowed to make mistakes.
• Adults known as ‘pupil champions’ have regular ‘catchup’ meetings with individual pupils. This gives them the freedom to discuss any worries and concerns.
• Vulnerable pupils thrive as a result of subtle, targeted support, empowering trust and a sense of security.
• The broad and ambitious MAT curriculum allows the school to maintain its individuality and distinctiveness. Staff networks facilitate joint planning and valuable sharing opportunities. These contribute to vision-shaped classroom experiences where all pupils are enabled to achieve.
• Pupils take on leadership roles giving a great sense of responsibility…Pupils support many local social action projects mostly through fundraising.
• Older pupils care for younger pupils and friendships are fostered which continue even when they leave the school. Provision for religious education (RE) is a strength of the school. Pupils are knowledgeable and articulate as a result of very good teaching and learning.
• Worship is the heartbeat of this school. There is a richness to Collective Worship allowing everyone to participate…Well planned, inspirational themes ensure that pupils appreciate the relevance of the Christian faith in today’s world.
   

Jo Westaby, Executive Headteacher at Viscount Beaumont’s CofE Primary School, said: “Viscount Beaumont’s is a truly nurturing and caring school, and I am so pleased this has been recognised in the very many positive comments that we received.

 

“It is this this sense of kindness, inclusiveness and belonging that makes our school such a special place.”

 

The school has been working in partnership with Rise Multi Academy Trust over the last two years. The inspectors found that: “The new MAT partnership is marked by principle, generosity and grace. This like-minded relationship is ensuring that everyone continues to flourish within this remarkable school family.” 

 

Mark Cole, CEO of Rise Multi Academy Trust, said: “My congratulations go to the wonderful children and staff at Viscount Beaumont’s.

 

“While there is so much to celebrate in this report, one thing that really stands out is the power of strong relationships and partnerships. The relationship between pupils, pupils and staff and the school and the wider church are all rightly noted as being one of Viscount Beaumont’s real strengths.

 

“I am also pleased that the report recognises the importance of the relationship with Rise. We allow every school to really build on their strengths and individuality, and support that by bringing together best practice and resources.

 

“Through our shared sense of purpose and collaboration, together we are enabling our pupils to flourish and succeed throughout their lives.”

Year 4 pupils from Viscount Beaumont's CofE Primary School became part of a 350-strong choir when they joined their peers for Rise Multi Academy Trust’s (Rise MAT’s) first Pupil Choral Concert held at Nottingham’s Albert Hall.

 

The event, which brought together pupils from each of Rise MAT’s 19 schools, forms part of the Trust’s commitment to providing a Pupil Charter for every child – offering opportunities and experiences that enrich pupils’ learning throughout their time at primary school.

 

In a celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, pupils were accompanied by a live band when they sang a host of songs that marked the decades of the Queen’s reign, as well as songs from the musicals in recognition of her fondness for the genre.

 

Julie Hopkins, Executive Headteacher of the Trust's Vale of Belvoir schools and project lead for the occasion, said: “All of the children sang so beautifully and confidently; their impeccable behaviour and passion shone through. It brought tears to our eyes when they dedicated ‘The Wind Beneath my Wings’ to their parents and teachers – it was one of those magical moments that everyone in attendance will remember.”

 

One parent attending the concert, added: “We wanted to say thank you for such an amazing evening. The children were absolutely incredible! My daughter loves singing and it was a phenomenal experience for her to be a part of.”

 

Pupils at each school practised the songs with their teachers and also benefited from a singing workshop which was run by Leicestershire Music’s choral lead, Nicki Atkins, who organised the arrangements of all the songs in preparation for the prestigious event. The children then came together to sing for the first time only a couple of hours before they performed.

 

Mark Cole, CEO of Rise Multi Academy Trust, said: “In total we welcomed almost 800 people to our Choral Concert, a gathering of pupils, parents, carers and staff members from across our Rise MAT family.

“It was a powerful example of how, as a Trust family, we can work together to achieve many amazing things, creating memories that will last a lifetime for our pupils.”