Standards drive after school in special measures

Dr Sue Morgan, head teacher of Filey School, says she is determined to continue with improvement measures begun last year after inspectors ruled the school had serious weakness. However following an inspection in June it has now been placed in special measures.

Despite improved results in English and maths, the school has had to rely heavily on supply staff because of absences and unfilled posts in the last year. When Ofsted came in June, the school was found to have a disproportionate number of lessons with inadequate and inconsistent teaching and poor behaviour – hence it has been placed in special measures.

Coun Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire’s executive member for schools, said: “This inspection outcome is very disappointing.”

North Yorkshire County Council has provided £200,000 of extra cash to support staff which will pay for a behaviour team manager who will have a team to deal with poor behaviour and steps to mentor under-achieving students. “Ofsted acknowledged that we have outstanding practice in music and PE and our main focus now must be to achieve consistently good practice across all subjects,” Dr Morgan said.

“Our attendance is now in line with national averages and is vastly improved. Since the last inspection in early June, only 14 months after the previous one, we have implemented a continuing series of changes which will start to have good effect.”

English GCSE results showed a marked improvement from 47 per cent of students achieving A*-C in English in 2013 to 56 per cent in 2014.