Wensleydale School has gone from being in special measures to one of the most improved in the country in three years. Joe Willis speaks to the man who has overseen the success, head teacher Phil Benaiges

EVERYONE remembers a good teacher – even teachers. For Wensleydale School head teacher Phil Benaiges, there were four or five who made the difference to his education.

They include the teacher who ran after-school cricket lessons and another who took students on a 16-hour mini-bus journey to the Scottish Highlands.

As well as a love of cricket and mountains, Phil left school with a desire to teach. His career began at Babington Community College, Leicestershire. From there, he moved to Lutterworth College, Leicestershire, then to Keswick School, before heading North and joining Northallerton College, where he became assistant head.

Phil, 47, who taught social studies and history during his early career, admits it was not until working at the Northallerton school, and being inspired by the head, Mick Hill, that he decided he wanted to run his own school.

It was while he was working at Northallerton College, that the deputy head position at Wensleydale became available. Phil applied and was appointed in January 2008, taking the headship six months later following the departure of the previous head, David Eaton.

The new head took on the role at a time when the school was struggling, having been placed in special measures by Ofsted earlier that year.

However, Phil says he recognised huge potential in the school and immediately set about seeking improvements.

At the heart of the headteacher’s plan for the school has been a desire to do the best he can for the children and their parents.

“I’ve got two boys aged seven and nine, who have changed my view on education,” he says. “The acid test for me is would I be happy as a parent at the experience my children are receiving at school?”

Phil adds: “We have tried to focus on one or two things at a time and get them right. I got this impression that we had gone back in time in terms of recording data on pupil performance, so we’ve made sure we have introduced realistic assessments of what pupils will achieve.”

The behaviour of pupils was also felt to be in need of improvement.

“There was a feeling that students didn’t know what the boundaries were,” says Phil, who adds: “By and large, our students are now the best behaved, most welcoming students I have ever come across.”

As well as adopting a good, basic curriculum that Phil says supplies students with the skills they need, the school has invested heavily in technology and staff training, and continued a broad extra curriculum programme that has included trips to India and the US. Phil says: “I’ve also been very fortunate to have good staff who have come with me through the changes – we’ve got fantastic heads of maths, English and science at Wensleydale, who I wouldn’t swap for anyone in the county.”

As well as praising its governors, the head says the school has benefited from the support of the local authority and Ofsted inspector Chris Keeler.

“It’s been a real team effort,” he adds.

This team effort has seen the school’s exam results improve dramatically over the past three years.

Since 2008, the school has celebrated a 116 per cent increase in the number of students achieving five A* to C grades, including Maths and English.

Eighty per cent of pupils achieved the benchmark in 2011 – up from 69 per cent the previous year.

This success has not gone unnoticed by Ofsted, with its most recent report in March rating the school as “good with many outstanding features”.

However, although Phil’s aim of making the school outstanding has not yet been achieved, the headteacher now feels it is time for a fresh challenge and he leaves Wensleydale in the summer to become head of Easingwold School.

“It was a very difficult decision to leave Wensleydale,” he says. “I genuinely love the school, but I thought there was an opportunity for change which would reinvigorate the school if it was needed.

“Easingwold is a much larger school, which on paper produces excellent results, and which could, should and will be about the best performing school in North Yorkshire.”

Given his success at Wensleydale, it is a target you would not bet against him achieving.