A north Oxford primary school labelled inadequate in a recent Ofsted inspection is considering becoming an academy in an effort to drive up standards.
An Ofsted inspection of Cutteslowe Primary School, carried out in November last year, rated the overall effectiveness of the school as inadequate and found that it was “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.” The report, published on January 11, echoes the finding of inspections in 2009 and 2010 when the school was also rated inadequate and was given a Notice to Improve.
Since the school failed to make progress after previous inspections, it has been placed into special measures, and will have regular short-notice Ofsted inspections and may be closed if its poor performance continues. In an effort to improve the school, the new headteacher, Jon Gray, who appointed in September 2011, hopes to team up with a high-performing school to form an academy trust.
He said: “We are looking at the possibility of converting to an academy with another successful school in Oxford. The reason that we are doing that is it will increase our capacity to improve with support from teachers from there and leadership from there.”
Cutteslowe Primary’s first choice of schools to team up with is Cherwell Upper School, which is rated outstanding by Ofsted. Consultations are currently underway as to whether Cherwell, which has submitted an application to become an academy, will invite Cutteslowe to partner with it.
Mr Gray expects to find out the outcome within a month. If Cherwell do not support the school’s proposals, Mr Gray intends to seek other partner schools in the city. In the meantime, he remains undeterred by Ofsted’s decision to introduce special measures.
He said: “I think special measures are a hugely positive process and it’s actually where the school needs to be. It’s a school that probably should have been in special measures last time. It’s had two Notices to Improve, which is virtually unheard of.
“Under special measures, we will have regular Ofsted visits, we’ve also been chosen as a pilot project to get schools out of special measures within a year.”
Since he was appointed in September, Mr Gray has been working alongside teachers to provide mentoring and additional training.
“The report recognised the improvements that have been being made since September but we had no results to back that up on at the time of the inspection,” Mr Gray said. Lorna Brackstone, the lead Ofsted inspector, praised Mr Gray for demonstrating a “clear understating of the urgent improvements required.”
However, prior to his appointment, the school experienced instability in senior leadership for 18 months with an executive headteacher who worked only two days a week. The report found that the lack of “strong, consistent leadership” during this time had resulted in the school “losing its way.”
Yet Mr Gray, who before taking up his current position managed to re-opened failing school Greenmere Primary in Didcot as the now-thriving Willowcroft Community School, is optimistic about Cutteslowe’s future.
“I wouldn’t have taken on the job if I didn’t think that the school was capable of great things, it’s got a lot of potential. The children in the school deserve the best and we are going to have to make sure that they get it,” he said.
