Lack of ambition at school, says Ofsted

Cheadle was one of the places deemed least in need of help by officials

A LACK of ambition permeates among senior leaders and governors at a secondary school ruled inadequate, say Ofsted inspectors.

Hindley High in Wigan was inspected in March after a previous visit by the watchdog found that improvements were not being made quickly enough.

Weaknesses in the curriculum have led to pupils struggling with their GCSE exams in recent years, with their grades falling below the national average in most areas.

While grades have started to pick up since the appointment of a new deputy headteacher, Ofsted says it is too early to tell if this will have a lasting impact.

An inspector’s report says that governors have failed to hold senior leaders to account for the quality of education provided and are too reliant on the information given to them.

Both governors and senior teachers have also been accused of not having high enough expectations for disadvantaged pupils. The report states: “For too long, pupils in this school have not received a good quality of education. Leaders have not acted swiftly enough to resolve this situation. The actions that they have taken have not been effective in bringing about the necessary improvement to pupils’ achievement

“This lack of ambition permeates the school.” The report adds: “The quality of education that pupils receive is too dependent on the teachers that they have. Leaders and governors continue to leave too much to chance.”

A council spokesperson said: “There are many great things to celebrate about Hindley High and we want to reassure parents that we are confident that the school is already on a really positive journey to continue to improve outcomes and children will have a bright and positive future there.”