A Barnoldswick primary school which Ofsted described in the summer as “requiring improvement” is bouncing back, according to the headteacher.
Nicola Walker, headteacher at Gisburn Road Community Primary School, believes the school is on the right track after the disappointing Ofsted report in July following an inspection in June.
The school was viewed as “good” in the behaviour and safety of pupils category, but “requires improvement” in the areas of pupil achievement, teaching quality and leadership and management.
Gisburn Road School had a monitoring visit from an Ofsted inspector in October who said “the pace of change needs to be accelerated”.
The inspector, Aelwyn Pugh, acknowledged that the school was making progress in areas including pupil achievement, teaching quality, governor development and the school’s appearance.
But Mr Pugh also stated in a letter that from his observations, the school needed to cover all the areas flagged up by Ofsted for improvement and include quantifiable targets for each area and precise timescales for implementation.
Mrs Walker said: “Everyone connected with the school - teachers, governors, pupils and parents - is passionate and fully committed to ensuring the school continues with the improvements we’ve made over the past 12 months.
“Even before we were visited by inspectors from Her Majesty’s Inspectors, we had already identified areas for improvement through our own thorough self-evaluation processes.
“We were taking steps to make the improvements mentioned in the recent Ofsted report.
“We are confident the school is improving rapidly. Improvements made over the last 12 months have been welcomed by parents and the wider community and especially the children.
“I am confident our school is heading in the right direction and it’s a privilege to serve the community of Barnoldswick, who have made me feel so welcome.”
