Agenda item

Agenda item

Ofsted Inspections of Manchester Schools

To receive a list of all Manchester schools which have been inspected since the last meeting and the judgements awarded.

 

To consider inspection reports for a selection of the schools.

Minutes:

The Subgroup received a list of all Manchester schools which had been inspected since the last meeting and the judgements awarded.  The Senior School Quality Assurance Officer provided an overview of this information.

 

The Subgroup considered the recent Ofsted special measures monitoring inspection report for Newall Green High School, noting that this was the third monitoring inspection since the school had become subject to special measures following the inspection that had taken place in March 2018.  At the latest monitoring inspection, Ofsted had judged that leaders and managers at the school were taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.  The Senior School Quality Assurance Officer provided an overview of the findings, commenting that the school was engaging well with the Quality Assurance Team and had been receiving additional support from the team, due to being in special measures.  She reported that the trust which ran the school had approached the Department for Education to discuss closing the school and that, if this went ahead, the Council would support parents through the admissions process to find new school places for their children. 

 

Members welcomed the progress that was being made in improving the school and stated their opposition to proposals to close the school.  A Member reported that the Council’s Executive was opposed to the proposed closure of the school and that this issue would also be considered at the next meeting of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee on 5 February 2020.  The Head of School Quality Assurance and Strategic SEND advised Members that schools which were judged as ‘inadequate’ could over time see a reduction in their school roll, which then made it more challenging to improve, and that the falling school roll was the reason given for the proposal to close Newall Green High School.

 

The Subgroup discussed the ability of other Wythenshawe schools to absorb the 360 pupils who would need a new school place if the school closed.  The Head of School Quality Assurance and Strategic SEND advised the Subgroup that there were some places available at other Wythenshawe schools but some parents were concerned about siblings being able to attend the same school and parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) were concerned about finding another school which would meet their child’s needs; however, she reiterated the Council’s commitment to providing support to the families who would be affected by the proposed closure and informed Members that the Admissions Team was already working to identify other school places for the affected pupils.

 

The Subgroup considered the recent Ofsted inspection report for St Anne's RC Primary School in Ancoats, which continued to be judged as ‘good’ by Ofsted.  The Senior School Quality Assurance Officer outlined the strengths and areas for improvement identified through the inspection.  The Chair commented that this was a good report and recommended that the Subgroup write to the school to congratulate them.

 

The Subgroup considered the recent Ofsted inspection report for St John's RC Primary School.  The Senior School Quality Assurance Officer reported that the school had last been inspected in November 2006, when it had been judged outstanding, and had then been re-inspected in October 2019 under the new Ofsted Framework, when it had been judged as ‘good’.  She reported that the senior leadership team and almost all of the teaching staff had changed since the last inspection and that the school had self-assessed as being ‘good’.  She informed Members that the school had been working with the Quality Assurance Team and outlined the support that was being provided to them.  She highlighted some of the key points from the inspection report. 

 

The Chair welcomed the subsidised trips abroad for pupils and praised the work of the headteacher.  A Member expressed concern at the length of time between Ofsted inspections, which was due to the school having previously been judged as ‘outstanding’ and advised that, based on his knowledge of the school, the report was a realistic appraisal of the school.  The Head of School Quality Assurance and Strategic SEND welcomed the Department for Education’s proposal that ‘outstanding’ schools should no longer be exempt from routine Ofsted inspections.  A Member recommended that the Subgroup write to the school to congratulate them on their recent Ofsted report and support them on their journey back to ‘outstanding’. 

 

The Subgroup considered the recent Ofsted inspection report for Varna Community Primary School.  The Senior School Quality Assurance Officer informed Members that this had been a thematic inspection to better understand the school’s curriculum and that the school’s Ofsted judgement did not change as a result of this type of visit.  She reported that the inspection had focused on languages provision (Spanish), which was a specialism for the school, and highlighted some of the strengths and areas for improvement detailed in the report.  A Member welcomed the report and that Spanish was a strength for the school.    

 

Decision

 

To write to St Anne’s RC Primary School and St John’s RC Primary School to congratulate them on their recent Ofsted reports.

Supporting documents: