Ipswich’s Westbourne Academy is moving in the right direction following critical Ofsted inspection
Garry Trott, the principal of Westbourne Academy - Credit: Lucy Taylor
An Ipswich academy told it had to improve after an Ofsted inspection last year is moving in the right direction.
Westbourne Academy was rated “requires improvement” when visited by officials in December.
All four categories on which schools are judged – leadership and management, behaviour and safety of pupils, quality of teaching and achievement of pupils – were given the rating in Westbourne’s first inspection as an academy.
Among concerns highlighted in the report, published this January, were below-standard GCSE results, poor teaching and pupils being set work which wasn’t challenging enough.
But during another visit in March, the inspector was complimentary of the way the school had dealt with the previous report.
A letter to principal Garry Trott said: “You have worked quickly with senior leaders to establish clear, and high, expectations; staff understand the improvements needed and value the support and training that is helping them to make the changes.
“Teachers are starting to use the information they have about students’ progress to plan activities that will help all, including the most able, to move forward in their learning.
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“Representatives of the academy trust have helped senior leaders to check standards, and are providing training for support staff so that their work with students with special educational needs has greater impact.”
Mr Trott said he was happy the inspector had acknowledged the improvements being made. “We are really pleased to see Ofsted recognising the hard work under way at our academy,” he said. “The plans we have put in place are creating a higher-quality learning environment where all our pupils can reach their full potential.
“The comprehensive staff training programme that we have put in place is starting to see real results and will enable all our staff to provide good or outstanding lessons in the months to come.
“Supporting this will be our new vertical tutoring system, to be launched in June, which will help pupils by allowing them to work together across year groups so they can further develop their academic progress and social skills.
“We strongly feel we are on the road to an Ofsted ‘good’ at our next inspection.”
