Tuesday 4 March 2014
Media statement from Crawshaw School regarding Ofsted inspection January 2014
Sean Preston, Acting Headteacher at Crawshaw School said:
“Many of the issues highlighted by theInspectors were already known to the current leadership and management team of the school and clear steps had already been taken to address them. Our school improvement plan reflects these actions and it is disappointing that Crawshaw School was not afforded the time to be able to evidence the improvements made as a consequence of our work.
Last year’s examination results were disappointing, especially after so much success over the previous five years. Early indications show that exam results this year will improve to around the level we were achieving when Ofsted graded the school ‘good’.
We believe the judgement of ‘inadequate’ is potentially very damaging for the school, however, the Governors, Leadership Team and the rest of the staff are committed to making the necessary improvements at Crawshaw. We know there are challenges ahead but we are united in our resolve to move the school forward.
We welcome the support and leadership experience of Keith Bothamley, Headteacher at Horsforth School,and the link we are establishing with the Red Kite Alliance in order to do so. The Red Kite Alliance is a partnership of high-performing schools, centred on Harrogate Grammar School, which uses its skills, experience and capacity to help improve learning and achievement in schools across Yorkshire and the Humber.
Whilst this is a challenging time, our school has many strengths and we will treat this as an opportunity to benefit from the monitoring and additional support offered as aresult of the inspection in order to make rapid improvements. “
David Gillingham, Chair of Governors at Crawshaw School said:
“As a school at the heart of our community, we look forward to working with parents, carers and the wider community to move Crawshaw forward. Ultimately, our aim is to provide the best education possible for the young people of Pudsey and their success will remain at the centre of everything we do.
The Governing Body of Crawshaw School is confident in the ability of the school to learn from this situation, to take on board the support from the Department for Education and Her Majesty’s Inspectors and make the necessary improvements quickly for the benefit of our community.”
Notes:
Crawshaw School has experienced a number of changes in management this year, with a new Chair and Vice Chair of Governors elected in September 2013 and the former Headteacher stepping down in December 2013. The Inspectors from Ofsted commented positively on the measures implemented since September and December to make the necessary improvements, however, insufficient time had passed at the point of the inspection to evidence their success. The school has enlisted the support of Keith Bothamley, Headteacher at Horsforth School to act as Executive Headteacher to help strengthen leadership in response to the findings of the inspection.
Acting Headteacher Sean Preston took up his role at the beginning of December 2013 with the remit of guiding the school for an interim period whilst a new permanent Headteacher is recruited.
For further information please contact Emma Whittle, Senior Communications Officer, Leeds City Council, 0113 2474713