New head leads school on the road to recovery
THE education watchdog has taken a Stockport school out of special measures.
St Anne’s RC High School on Glenfield Road, Heaton Chapel, has made improvement since its previous Ofsted inspection, however it is still rated as ‘requires improvement’.
All four categories of the Ofsted report - effectiveness of leading and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare and outcomes for pupils - were rated ‘requires improvement’, and overall the school was labelled inadequate.
There have been a range of improvements at the school, however, since the appointment of headteacher Rachel Quesnel in May.
The latest inspection, carried out on November 21 and 22, recognised that pupils are making good progress across a range of subjects in Key Stage 3.
The report states that progress in maths is improving, but not quickly enough in Key Stage 4 and the progress of disadvantaged children is also not yet good.
The report praises the curriculum for being more engaging and interesting and states ‘key weaknesses in senior leadership have been addressed’.
It also says: “The recently appointed headteacher has a precise understanding of what needs to be done to make this a good school.
“She has the support of the vast majority of staff who understand the need for change.”
Rachel said: “The credit is down to the dedication of all the staff. They have seen so much change with four headteachers over 24 months, each with their own way of doing things.
“I’d like to thank them for their resilience and patience throughout this challenging period.
“I hope to bring some much-needed stability to the school as we work towards a good and then an outstanding judgement.
“Our students are welcoming, polite and hardworking. My ambition is for St Anne’s to be the secondary school of choice in the area.
“I want parents and children to choose us for our catholic ethos, knowing they’ll receive a firstclass education within a nurturing and highly aspirational environment.”