A head teacher has spoken of her school’s ‘delight’ after turning itself around from struggling to thriving in just five years.
In 2017, Kirkby High School in Knowsley received the lowest possible Ofsted rating of “inadequate” with an inspection report at the time listing a catalogue of shortcomings.
After a five year journey of improvement the school’s most recent report following an inspection carried out in July described “a calm and welcoming place” which is now rated as “good.”
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In the report, which was released today, inspectors said: “Trustees and governors have overseen a number of improvements in the school
since the last inspection.”
In 2017, inspectors said they found there was “inadequate progress” for pupils, “unreliable” assessment information, with students not being challenging, teaching not being consistent and leadership that was not competent or capable.
In the most recent inspection, Kirkby High School is described in very different terms, with inspectors speaking of a “well organised” curriculum and “proficient” teachers ensuring a “calm” environment for pupils who feel “happy and safe.”
The school, which caters for nearly 1,000 pupils aged 11 to 16 and is part of the Rowan Learning Trust, is also described as having a “strong culture of safeguarding” to keep pupils safe in the classroom and beyond.
While there are some areas of weakness in more newly introduced subjects and around literacy for some pupils, overall inspectors said the school was now “good.”
Kirkby High School head teacher Ms Confrey told the ECHO: “The whole Kirkby High School community, with the support of The Rowan Learning Trust, is delighted to receive external recognition of the excellent provision our students experience on a daily basis.”
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