Super head has positive impact in all areas of Lymm High School

THE appointment of a “super head” with an outstanding track record of turning round problem schools is having a “positive impact” in all areas at Lymm High School according to the latest Ofsted report.
Executive principal Tarun Kapur CBE was drafted in following the suspension of controversial Principal Angela Walsh last September.
Previously an outstanding school there were fears in the local community that it could be put in special measures following a large turnover of staff and poor morale.
But the latest Ofsted says the school is good with the recently appointed executive principal’s vision for success and determination to drive the academy forward “having a positive impact in all areas.”
The school converted to become an academy from September 2012.
The report says the school is a good school where the quality of teaching is good overall and much is outstanding, leading to students making good and outstanding progress in the majority of lessons.
Students’ attainment is consistently well above the national average and achievement in mathematics is consistently outstanding.
The sixth form is good. The diverse curriculum and high-quality enrichment experiences in the sixth form results in students’ good success rates.
Students with specific needs are also supported extremely well.
Students also behave well in lessons and around the school. They have a positive attitude to learning and make the most of their experiences in the classroom and in the wide range of extra-curricular activities. This contributes well to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Attendance is above the national average and improving whilst exclusions are in line with or below the national average, and declining.
But the report highlights that staff turnover has been very high in recent months with 48 new teaching staff appointed to the academy in September 2013.
The academy also works closely with the Dean Trust which is a multi-academy trust and, although Lymm High School is a separate entity, it is part of the Dean Trust Teaching School Alliance.
The school is not yet considered outstanding because although much of the teaching is good or better, a significant minority requires improvement because the activities in lessons do not match the students’ needs and abilities sufficiently well.
The marking of books is inconsistent. Not all teachers give students enough information about how they can improve their work.
The gap in achievement between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and their peers in English is not closing rapidly enough.
Inspectors observed 46 teachers in 48 part-lessons including three joint observations with members of the academy’s senior team. Inspectors also held meetings with approximately 50 students from all year groups.
Meetings were held with the executive principal, the chair of the Governing Body, a local authority representative, senior and middle leaders, teachers and other academy staff. Informal discussions also took place with staff and students.
Inspectors took account of the 343 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the 97 responses to the staff questionnaire.
Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including minutes of the Governing Body, the academy’s self-evaluation, safeguarding and child-protection records, and data relating to students’ achievement.