School slips from ‘outstanding’ to ‘needs improvement’

Reporter THE school at the centre of a uniform row which saw 100 pupils put in isolation has been told it must improve.

George Stephenson High School, in Killingworth, Newcastle, was rated as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted – slipping from ‘outstanding’ when inspectors last visited in 2012.

School leaders argue the new inspection framework is “much tougher” and have said they know what must be done to change things before the next visit.

In September the school came under fire after 100 pupils were placed in isolation after infringements of the uniform policy – including the wrong trousers, trainers or skirts.

And now Ofsted has said “the overall effectiveness of the school has declined and leadership and management require improvement” since the 2012 visit.

Inspectors said teaching at the school is not good enough – too many pupils are given easy work, while sometimes teachers fail to notice when their students have misunderstood something, meaning the same mistakes are repeated.

Results in maths were a particular cause for concern, where students’ scores were described as “not good enough”.

For pupils classed as disadvantaged, the situation was worse, with their achievement lagging behind that of their better-off peers.

However, a number of positives were noted in the report.

Pupils were described as “keen to learn”, well behaved and having good relationships with the staff.

They are confident when speaking with adults, and take pride in their work.

A wide range of subjects are available for study, and older students choose subjects which suit them well. The report also notes that pupils “are smart and take pride in their appearance”.

The provisions for students after GCSE was praised, with sixth-form students achieving good results and leaving for university or work.

Headteacher Ian Wilkinson said: “We are disappointed with the overall judgement against a much tougher inspection framework this year, but there are many positives that we can take from this report.

He added: “The inspectors made a point of saying what a credit our students are to the school and I couldn’t agree more. I am grateful to the parents I have spoken with for their understanding and support and I hope they are reassured about our commitment to providing the very best education for their children.

“We know what needs to be done to do to address the issues raised and achieve greater consistency across the school before our next inspection.”