A SCHOOL that was struggling has seen major improvements after teaming up with an academy.
Wheldon School and Sports College, in Carlton, was put in special measures after an Ofsted inspection last February.
But Ofsted now says that students' progress and achievements are good – and the partnership with Redhill Academy, in Arnold, has helped.
Andrew Burns is executive head teacher at Redhill and has been acting executive head at Wheldon since last September.
He said the collaboration had worked "brilliantly".
The latest Ofsted report on Wheldon showed an "extremely encouraging" picture, with the school achieving "maximum progress grades" in all categories.
"Staff, students and parents have been particularly pleased that Ofsted have confirmed that there have been rapid improvements in the standards of both behaviour and teaching," said Mr Burns.
"All those visiting the school now acknowledge that students are enjoying a safe, positive environment focused on studying and achievement."
The partnership involves teachers from Redhill visiting Wheldon once a week.
They give advice and support to other teachers, especially new or recently-appointed heads of departments.
"Together they look at things like systems in the faculty, the curriculum and examinations," said Mr Burns. "There's a lot of good staff at Wheldon and they're being freed up to do what they want to do.
"Ours and their staff are working well together."
In particular, Ofsted highlighted the "effective liaison" between the head of mathematics and an advanced skills teacher at Redhill, which has resulted in "more confident leadership of the department".
The report says: "The school's analysis shows that the overall proportion of pupils who gain five or more GCSE passes at A* to C including English and mathematics is on track to improve on last year."
It says that teaching staff have become more confident, resulting in a "calm and orderly atmosphere in all lessons and around the school".
It concludes that the partnership has enabled Wheldon to "continue to build capacity across all areas of its work".
John Slater, Notts County Council service director for education standards and inclusion, said: "We are pleased that Ofsted have recognised the improvement at Wheldon School and Sports College. This shows that their partnership arrangement with Redhill Academy is beneficial to standards at Wheldon.
"We believe this is an indication of their strong progress towards moving out of special measures and offering students a high-quality education."
Governors at both schools have voted to cement their partnership by proposing to the Redhill Trust that it sponsors Wheldon School as an academy from September.
 |  |
Recession Economic policy Ethical and green living Strictly Come Dancing Wolverhampton Wanderers United States
No comments:
Post a Comment