A Shropshire primary school which was slammed as failing by an education watchdog has completed a dramatic transformation after being classed as “outstanding” just three years later.
Greenfields Primary School in Shrewsbury was visited by Ofsted inspectors last month, who showered praise on both staff and pupils for their achievements, and awarded it the highest grade possible.
Only three years ago, the Government watchdog placed it in special measures after claiming it was failing to give pupils an acceptable standard of education.
At the time Greenfields was ranked in the top third of Shropshire primaries in performance league tables and the report caused dismay and anger among parents who said it was a caring and popular school.
Headteacher Andrew Owen, who was also in charge in 2005, said the new report was a ringing endorsement for pupils, parents, staff and governors.
The school received its latest assessment following a trial inspection on November 4 and 5.
The overall effectiveness of the school was judged as “outstanding”, as were many of the outcomes for children such as behaviour, attendance and attainment.
A report says: “The children’s achievement is outstanding with children with learning difficulties making outstanding progress.
“Throughout the school, attention to care, safety and well-being leads children to flourish, behave impeccably and value each other and the education they receive.”
The leadership and management were also judged as excellent with “the outstanding performance and quality of experience of different groups of children demonstrates the impact of leaders in promoting equality and ensuring the school is a safe and welcoming place,” the report says.
By Russell Roberts
7 Comments
Your on-line report on Greenfields Primary school gives the head teacher’s name as Andrew Owen. It is Andrew Morris.
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Well done all of you. It’s not an easy job and you should all be very proud.
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I am glad the school has improved.Many small town/village schools end up like this due to many factors which are never addressed until it is to late .Lets face it how many children have failed to achieve due to the school failing for a period of time?.Schools in my view fail for many reasons.
1,poor leadership.
2,poor/lazy teaching.
3,poor parent support.
4,failing to introduce new faces and opinions especially through governors election .I.e. same people being elected 4 years after 4 years which sews the seeds for failure. Every where needs change and fresh faces.
5, failing to remove poor governors until the 4 year period is up. Not making parants aware of governor failings.
The list is endless but all schools need to be kept on there toes
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for me this just highlights the waste of time with all this league table business, a total central command and control socialist idea, schoools suck in public subsidy and give very little return on that investment economically, all the best schools in uk are church schools and private schools, we need to get away from the idea of the government running anything, be it banks, schools, swimming baths, or hospitals, they couldnt direct a play - this school has changed that much in 3 years? I dont think so, its showing that the whole monitoring, scoring and inspection regime is useless, futile waste of my money
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Do these league tables really prove anything?
Its a fact that all the failing schools are in the most deprived area’s with parents both on benefits.
These schools face the problem of dealing with a majoprity of parents who just are not interested in a child’s education.
In this case the child picks up upon the parents disregard of a education and is not motivated to behave or learn at school.
A catch 22 situation.
The poor schools and teachers should not be made scapegoats for bad parenting.
The sooner the benefits system is reformed the better.
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All down to benefits mmmmmmmmmmm ok yes it is many factors but 99% time it is teachers and leadership.
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Finchy - It is all down to benefits. The benefits society we have introduced have created a lazy working or un working class who prefer to have evrything handed down to them on a plate but are not prepared to work for it.
My Grandfather held down 3 jobs to look after my father and siblings he would get in at 10pm at night have 3 hrs kip and then be out for the night shift at 1am until 7am.
In today’s society people prefer to watch daytime TV go down to the bookies, pub and that is the working day for many parents in deprived area’s.
A child education does not come into it so how can you blame schools for failing when it is the parents who are failing?
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