High school requires improvement

THE first of the new, tougher Ofsted inspections to be carried out in Warrington has concluded that Penketh High School “requires improvement”.
This does not imply that the school is failing or inadequate – and under the old inspection system it would have been judged “satisfactory.”
The report says the Heath Road school is not good because some groups of pupils are not making expected progress in maths and a limited proportion of teaching requires improvement.
Some groups of pupils, such as those with special educational needs, are not making expected progress and, in addition, the sixth form requires improvement.
The inspectors recognise in their report that the school has made a number of key improvements since their last visit in October 2010.
Standards at the end of year 11 have risen each year for the past four years and the proportion of students achieving five or more GCSE passes at A*-C continues to improve. The school’s specialist subjects of art, design, media and drama continue to perform well above average.
Other strengths highlighted in the report include the good behaviour of pupils and effective leadership and management. Pupil’s spiritual, moral and cultural development and the valuable contribution they make to the local community are also praised.
The inspection team says senior leaders and governors have taken effective action over the last two years to improve teaching and learning and they believe there is a strong capacity to improve further.
Headteacher Jeff Hughes said: “No school can ever afford to stand still; we must always seek to improve ourselves for the benefit of our learners. We have a clear vision with even greater aspirations for the future. Our new Penketh Charter sets out how we will make this happen and this was recognised by the inspection team as encapsulating the school’s ambition to become outstanding.”
Pinaki Ghoshal, assistant director of children and young people’s services at Warrington Borough Council said: “The local authority is confident that the management team is providing purposeful and effective leadership with a clear vision for continuous progress. Our aspiration is that all Warrington schools continue to improve so that our young people have the very best education possible.”
A full copy of the report can be read at www.ofsted.gov.uk