School told to do better is now given good marks
A SCHOOL that was ordered to improve following an inspection by the education watchdog has now been rated ‘good’ in all areas
Banks Lane Junior School in Offerton was criticised for having low expectations of its pupils and offering a ‘variable’ quality of teaching after a visit by Ofsted in January 2018.
Poorer children and those with special needs or disabilities were also found not to perform as well as other pupils nationally.
But now the Hempshaw Lane school has bounced back, with the watchdog’s latest report praising senior leaders for turning the school around.
Based on a two-day inspection in March, it says it now boasts an ‘ambitious, well-designed curriculum,’ and high expectations for all its pupils
Youngsters at Banks Lane, whose motto is ‘believe to achieve’ are said to have a ‘positive attitude to learning’ and love going to school.
Head teacher Ed Milner said staff had worked incredibly hard, while the children had been ‘amazing throughout.’
He added: “Our whole school community has contributed to this and we are all very proud of the outcome. The new, more rigorous inspection framework made for a tough few days - but we had worked hard for two years leading up to the inspection; the quality of our curriculum and the progress we had made was clear.”
The report says that school leaders had recognised standards were not high enough and successfully addressed the issue.
It adds: “Currently, most pupils are doing well. Their work in a range of subjects matches the expectations of leaders’ planned curriculum.”
The school has also fostered a love of reading, investing in books and the development of the school library.
Year 3 teachers were found to quickly identify children who were struggling to read, deploying extra lessons and ‘well-chosen books’ to help them catch up.
Similar improvements were noted in maths, where pupils were reported to be solving ‘increasingly complex problems’ and trying hard to live up to teachers’ high expectations.
The area of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved greatly, with SEND pupils ‘achieving well’ as a result of the specialist support that they receive.
Regular parents’ forums are also said to be helping to improve links between home and school.
Nicola Weedon, whose seven-year-old son Dylan has SEND, has certainly found this to be the case.
Also mum to nine-yearold Noah, she says the SEND department has been brought ‘right up to date’ with monthly meetings keeping parents fully informed.
She said: “You can go into the school, discuss issues, they tell us whatever information they have, which they had never done before. It’s now a really, really good school.”