THE headteacher of a school that has faced questions over its leadership has responded to parents in a letter - where he lays bare the positives and challenges of the school moving forward.
Chris Hammill, headteacher at St Leonard's Catholic School in Durham, penned the letter to parents on April 11; a day before an Ofsted report was published that rated the school as 'requiring improvement'.
Despite reciving some positives for its teaching, sixth form and personal development categories, it fell short in the leadership and management section from the education inspectors.
Read more: St Leonard's Durham gets poor Ofsted report after 'serious concerns'
Now, Mr Hammill has set out where St Leonard's will go from here after the 'below average' report - saying that the document is "disappointing, disproportionate and does not accurately reflect our school".
His full letter can be found below:
I am writing today to share with you the Ofsted report following our recent Inspections. We believe that the following grades accurately reflect the position of the school at this time.
We are delighted those specific strengths around key areas such as behaviour, safety and academic rigour have been positively acknowledged.
'The school environment is calm and controlled. Incidents of poor behaviour are infrequent. Within lessons, pupils are engaged and focused. Teachers do not accept passivity from pupils. Leaders have high academic ambitions for pupils, including those in the sixth form.'
The greatest strength outlined in this report is the position of Teaching and Learning, the main work of any school. This effectively addressed the major area for improvement following our inspection in 2019.
’The curriculum structure is well thought through. including in the sixth form. Pupils benefit from well-sequenced lessons, delivered by passionate and committed teachers. Pupils have a good understanding of what they have been taught.’
We think it is also important to draw out the recognition of our dedicated staff in the report: ‘Staff are fully committed to the school and its leaders. They enjoy working at the school.’
Read more: Thomas Mallaby: Jury discharged in teenager's murder trial
Pupils as ever were a credit to themselves and their families. and received many compliments during the inspection.
All these strengths, running alongside our extensive enrichment programme, are the day to day experiences of our pupils. However, whilst we believe, building on the hard work over many years, we are offering an improving education, we know we still have areas to improve.
The very specific strands identified for improvement around SEND and school procedures have been brought out in the report and which we fully accept.
We were working on these areas before the inspection and continue to do so. The support we give to all our pupils, those who have additional needs, is at the centre of what we try to do, each day.
We did our very best, both during and after our inspections, to present reasoned views and substantial evidence, but we were not able to convince Ofsted that the ‘requires improvement’ grade for leadership and management and overall effectiveness is disappointing, disproportionate and does not accurately reflect our school.
Our main reason for a change of grade that we presented, was that common sense would suggest that for all other areas to be graded as ‘Good’ this needs at least ’Good' Leadership and Management in addition we shared the impact of the pandemic on all areas, including those specifically identified for improvement.
It is also important to understand that our inspection came about based on concerns, which were found to have been effectively addressed by the school.
Read more: Ushaw Moor flats approved despite objections from residents
I hope this letter explains in a balanced and open way the context of the grading in the report in our opinion St Leonard's is a strong school with the potential to be exceptional.
I am extremely proud to be Headteacher and a parent of Sc Leonard's and firmly believe we can look forward to a very bright future.
Finally, I would like to ask families for your help at this time. As a school, we have always felt very well supported by our families and pupils, who are such a credit to you all.
Please let me know if you have any commence or questions. As we move forward, we are confident we can keep getting stronger for the benefit of all our pupils, especially those who need support the most.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article