Receiving outstanding from OFSTED recently has not been enough for Our Lady and St Joseph’s Catholic (OLSJ) Primary School in Lymington. They have scooped two further prestigious honours, validation of Pip and Pap Phonics and the Oscar Romero “Developer Level” Award.

Their in-house designed Partnership Phonics Programme “Pip and Pap Phonics” has been validated by the Department of Education as an approved systematic, synthetic phonics scheme provider. The scheme was developed in-house by the school’s English and Leadership team, alongside Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 staff across the partnership.

There are less than fifty programmes across the UK that have achieved this accreditation, which shows that the programme has met the required standard in sixteen different areas, as assessed by an independent panel.  Feedback from staff and parents echoed the excitement of the children who had tried and tested the programme that supports early reading and writing.

More about the scheme is available at the school’s Pip and Pap Parent Workshops, which run regularly throughout the school year, or on their new website: www.pipandpap.com where 119 decodable reading books, part of the scheme which can be purchased through the school office or through the new website.

But the school’s success does not stop there. OLSJ is also thrilled to have been awarded the Oscar Romero “Developer Level” Award, building on the “Participator Award” that they received in 2020. Only eight schools in the country have this level of award, out of the hundreds of Catholic Schools registered with the programme in the UK and Channel Islands.

After a successful initial application, two validators came to tour the school and met with staff, governors, and children. They were very impressed with what they saw and subsequently awarded the school the “Developer Level” award. The Oscar Romero Award recognises schools that have embedded the key principles of Catholic Social Teaching in their ethos and culture so that all can experience life to the full.

The full Validators report is available on the school website.

“A big thank you to all involved in the award- we are so pleased that OLSJ has been recognised for the work that our community carries out to promote Catholic Social Teaching across all aspects of school life.”

The school is now working towards the “Innovator” Level of the award – which no school has achieved to date! We’re sure it is only time before OLSJ could be one of the first.