Popular school to remain in special measures

SCHOOL inspectors have upheld their decision that a popular Warrington primary school requires special measures, after failing to provide an acceptable standard of education.
Although Ofstead have acknowledged that there were some errors in the process during the inspection of Stockton Heath Primary School, they have upheld their judgement following an appeal by borough council education chiefs.
Parents, teachers and school governors were stunned earlier this year by the decision to place the school in special measures.
Governors rejected the findings of Ofsted – the Office for Standards in Education – and lodged an official complaint about the inspectors’ findings. But education chiefs will be told tomorrow, (Wednesday September 17) that their appeal failed.
The inspection by the Ofsted team, led by Angela Westington, described the school as serving “an area of significant social and economic advantage” saying it was an effective school, with good quality teaching and providing good value for money when it was last inspected, four years ago.
But after a new inspection in April they said it was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school were not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvements.
The inspectors’ report said: “The school’s view of its work is over generous in almost all aspects and significantly so in a few key areas.
“Standards now attained by pupils by the end of Key Stage 2 are broadly average but variable. Given their favourable starting points, this represents inadequate achievement.
“The situation is made more worrying by the drop in standards in Key Stage 1 where there has been a steady decline in reading and writing national test results and a recent significant decline in mathematics. The quality of teaching is not as good as the school thinks it is. It is highly variable and there is some that is inadequate.
“Leadership and management are inadequate because weaknesses in key aspects of the school’s work have not been identified or, where identified, have not been acted upon.”
The report said headteacher Lynda Carnes was dedicated, hard working and committed but had worked for a lengthy period without the support of a deputy. She had also had to manage a move to a new building, and there had been a high staff turnover.
But the school expected too little of its pupils and was running a large deficit budget, which allowed a generous adult-pupil staff ratio. As a result, it did not provide satisfactory value for money.
The school was at the centre of a huge row last year when a determined group of parents staged a lengthy but unsuccessful campaign against plans to demolish the 100-year-old building and replace it with new buildings within the school grounds.
Now the school will remain in special measures, one of two in Warrington, the other being Bruche Primary.
Two other schools, Oakwood Avenue Primary and St Augustine’s Catholic Primary have been given notice to improve.
Meanwhile three primary schools and one infant school have been designated as outstanding.
These are Cinnamon Brow CE Primary, Gorse Covert Community Primary, St Monica’s Catholic Primary and Thelwall Infant School.