Failing school is turned around

Sowerby Village Primary School has turned its fortunes around after being rated as a good school following a recent Ofsted inspection. The school was branded inadequate by inspectors in 2011 and was placed in special measures, meaning the school received regular monitoring inspections.

The school’s head, governors and management were replaced by an interim executive board, and staff worked with the council and another Calderdale primary school to make improvements.

In May 2013 the school was taken out of special measures, but inspectors found the school required improvement.

The latest Ofsted report based on an inspection in May found the school to be rated good across all areas.

The report praises the school’s headteacher Lynsey Mitchell for providing “an ambitious and clear direction for school improvement. “She is well supported by senior leaders, an effective staff team and the governing body. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ chievement are both good and strongly improving.”

It states that “Pupils of all abilities make good progress throughout the school in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects. They are keen to learn and take pride in their success.”

But the report also highlights areas for improvement. It said: “On a few occasions, pupils do not achieve all they are capable of in writing because their spelling is not always accurate enough. This is not consistently addressed.”

Inspectors also found “Pupils do not always make efficient use of their mental calculation skills to solve mathematical problems and check the accuracy of their answers.”

Ly n s e y M i t c h e l l , headteacher at Sowerby Village Primary School, said: “Two years on and the school is a different place. Our pupils are well-behaved and keen to learn, achieving outcomes in line with their peers nationally and making high levels of progress.

“The entire staff team, governing board, pupils and families are incredibly pleased with such a positive report and particularly the acknowledgement that we are keen to drive further improvements,” she said.

“The school community have been on a real journey to- gether, united in our commitment to improving outcomes for our pupils so this is a real celebration of that hard work and all that we have achieved together.”

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