A failing primary school taken over by an academy trust has turned itself around and been rated Good in all areas by Ofsted. Back in 2017, Bredbury Green Primary School, in Romiley, Stockport , was deemed by Ofsted to be ‘Inadequate’. At the time, the school was the lowest performing school in the borough with only 33% of children reaching the national standard in reading, writing and maths.
Converted by the Department for Education into an academy, it joined the Education Learning Trust, and things began to improve. Read more: 'Rules are rules, but some schools are taking them way too far' Just as the pandemic hit and learning went online, the Trust took the decision to transfer an outstanding senior leader from the sponsor school, Gatley Primary, and Helen Moorcroft took up position as the new headteacher. The number of pupils achieving the national standard in reading, writing and maths has risen to 83% (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News) Since then, there have been other key appointments from schools within the Trust into Bredbury Green, including the deputy head who was a senior leader in one of the Trust's secondary schools.
Vanessa McManus, director of learning and innovation at Education Learning Trust, says the 'strategy certainly paid off' - with the number of pupils achieving the national standard in reading, writing and maths having risen to 83%. "Along with this transfer of strength, there has been fantastic commitment from all the staff and parents who have continued to support the school which was also suffering from falling numbers and associated budget difficulties," she said. Helen Moorcroft was a senior leader at Gatley Primary and moved over to take the headteacher's role at Bredbury Green Primary (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News) "The school has gone from strength to strength and has now increased outcomes from 33% to 83% achieving the national standard or higher.
The unwavering commitment of the staff and partnership with parents has also led to an increase in pupil numbers this year too." Inspectors, who visited the 257-pupil school in June, said: "Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), at Bredbury Green Primary School thrive in all aspects of their development. The vision of ‘inspire, empower’ runs like a golden thread through all parts of school life.
"Pupils, and children in the early years, come into school with smiles on their faces, happy to see their friends and the staff." They added: "Pupils typically behave well during lessons. Classrooms are calm and purposeful.
Pupils trust that staff will help them with any worries or concerns that they may have. Ofsted inspectors said the 'vision of ‘inspire, empower’ runs like a golden thread through all parts of school life' (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News) "Pupils strive to be the best that they can be. They are polite, respectful and well mannered.
The specially resourced provisions for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) are oases of serenity." The report goes on to say that the school 'has high expectations for pupils’ achievement' and 'has raised the ambition of the curriculum and ensured that pupils benefit from a high quality of education'. Headteacher Helen Moorcroft said: "I am incredibly proud of the journey that the school has taken since I started five years ago.
The staff are so committed to giving the children the best education they can and I am delighted that Ofsted recognised this. Headteacher Helen Moorcroft and pupils celebrate Bredbury Green Primary School's Good Ofsted (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News) "All stakeholders: Education Learning Trust, governors, parents, staff and children were involved in developing our vision and this has driven us to significantly improve the quality of education for all. The outcomes achieved in the last two years are outstanding and have ensured our learners are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
” The improvements inspectors suggested relate to making sure the curriculum identifies the most important vocabulary and knowledge that the pupils should learn, and checking the delivery of the curriculum and addressing gaps in teachers’ expertise 'so that pupils progress smoothly through each curriculum'. School leaders acknowledge the issues highlighted and say they have been 'immediately prioritised'..
