Queen’s Croft High School in Lichfield to thank its community with summer of celebration

A LICHFIELD special school is planning to thank its community for a year of support by hosting a summer fayre to celebrate milestones, including a glowing Ofsted report.

Queen’s Croft High School – part of the Primitas Learning Partnership – was recently rated ‘good’ by government inspectors who also praised staff’s ‘clear sense of pride in being part of the community that leaders have been careful to restore.’

The school has more than 190 pupils on roll from Year 7 through to Year 13.

It is less than a year since co-headteachers Sam Wood and Letitia Carter took over from Clive Lawrence. The role at Queen’s Croft is their first headship.

The summer fayre, which takes place on Saturday, June 22, will feature stalls, an ice-cream van and a fire engine that visitors can sit in.

“This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ and will be a celebration of our achievements over the past 12 months,” said Letitia Carter, “and it will also be a chance to fundraise further for a school mini-bus.

“Queen’s Croft High School has been through substantial change and it is great that our hard work and relationship with the parents and wider community is being recognised.”

Highlights from the recent report praised the ‘rapidly improving school’ and that, over time, ‘pupils develop into confident and resilient young people, who are suitably prepared for life after school’.

Initiatives which shone through in the Ofsted report, and which the co-headteachers are really proud of, include the improved enrichment programme of GREAT Fridays. This includes sport, cooking, and Forest School. Another is the community work and outreach our pupils are involved in such as volunteering at the Beacon Village retirement home and the Music in Motion group performing in local primary schools.

“The understanding of young people with special educational needs and disabilities is at the heart of everything we do,” added Sam Wood, “and our developing relationship with the local authority has helped to nurture that with parents and carers, too.

“We have introduced a ‘Makaton Choir’ that will be busking in Lichfield next month, as well as a celebration event dubbed the Queen’s Croft Oscar, to be held at the Garrick Theatre in June.

“We will also be bringing back a school residential for pupils. This is a huge step forward, as there hasn’t been a school residential since before covid.”

The pair thanked the wider senior leadership team, school governors and the Trust for their continued backing of Queen’s Croft, which covers Lichfield, Rugeley, Tamworth, Cannock, Stafford, Walsall and Birmingham and boasts a thriving Sixth Form.

“The support we have received has been most welcome and we’re looking forward to the rest of the school year here at Queen’s Croft,” added Sam.