Newport High School has been taken out of Estyn special measures. Inspectors said the school has made sufficient progress to no longer need the highest level of intervention from the inspectorate.
A report from inspectors highlighted improvements made and recommended further areas for improvement. Newport Council leader Jane Mudd said “great strides” have been made by the school and the decision by Estyn to remove it from special measures was down to the hard work and dedication of the head teacher, staff and governing body.
Head teacher Gill Lee said: “We are so pleased that Estyn has found that the school’s progress means it can be taken out of special measures. This is not just because of the work done by a few, it is an achievement by the whole school community and we are determined to get better and better.”
Read more: Boy, 16, sustains facial injuries in assault near school
In its progress report Estyn said Newport High's headteacher and senior leadership team communicate their vision “based on equality, commitment, and integrity” clearly. This had helped the school improve, including the quality of teaching and assessment.
Inspectors said that in lessons, the majority of pupils generally make “sound progress” and show a positive attitude to learning. Pupils now benefit from a wider range of opportunities to develop literacy skills and the school has raised the profile of developing pupils’ oracy in different subjects.
Pupils benefit from discussing topical issues “including the unacceptability of misogyny and whether sport teaches us good values”. But inspectors added that where teaching is not effective enough “it is because teachers’ expectations are not sufficiently high”.
The report adds: “In a few cases, particularly at Key Stage 3, teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour sufficiently well. This has a negative impact on the progress of the whole class.”
On writing skills the inspectors commented: “The majority of pupils now produce writing that is mostly technically secure though others continue to make basic errors and do not proofread their work.”
On numeracy the report noted: “In general, pupils develop their numeracy skills well in mathematics, including through real-life problem-solving activities. The school is beginning to develop a more coherent approach to developing numeracy skills across the curriculum and a few relevant subjects provide pupils with appropriate opportunities to practise their numeracy skills. However, there is still too much variation in the relevance and level of challenge of these activities.”
Responding to the report Councillor Davies Deb Davies, the council’s cabinet member for education thanked the head, staff and governors for their work. She said Newport now has no schools in special measures and the council “will continue to support its schools to continually improve to ensure children in the city receive the best possible education”.
Newport High’s chair of governors Cllr James Clarke added: “We have been closely working with the head and ensuring that we are working as a team in the best interests of the school. The head teacher and staff have done a great job to get the school out of special measures and together we will make sure the school continues its improvement journey.” To get our free Wales Matters daily briefing on the biggest issues affection the nation, click here.
Read next:
- The amount spent on each child's education in Wales has barely risen in more than a decade
-
Local firm funds free breakfasts at a school in one of Wales' wealthiest areas because pupils were turning up hungry
- Schools don’t have enough money to keep children safe or provide the statutory level of education, warn governors
-
New £46m push to tackle Wales' school absence problem
Unqualified school support staff learning GCSE subjects on YouTube before teaching exam classes
