Gove sacks Bradford Moor governors in row over marking

An interim executive board (IEB) has been appointed to run Bradford Moor Primary which was placed in special measures by a damning Ofsted report more than a month ago.

The report criticised governors for failing to check the work of the school or hold its leadership to account. It also warned that teachers’ assessment of what pupils can achieve was too generous, leading to parents and children having a misleading picture of the standards being achieved.

The report warned that pupils’ attainment was below Government targets and it said there was discontent within the community about the school.

The new IEB at Bradford Moor will be chaired by Ros Garside, who has long experience in education and has worked in Bradford for ten years. Other members include Jo Williams, who chairs the Dixons Group of Academies in the city, Mike Latham, who has recently retired as head teacher of Newby Primary, an outstanding school in Bradford, and Ruby Bhatti, a solicitor who is said to have a good knowledge of the local community.

Recently appointed head teacher Janet Relton, who was praised by the Ofsted report, said: “We welcome the decision to approve the Interim Executive Board and look forward to working with them to bring about rapid improvements.

“The Ofsted report acknowledged that some progress was being made with some pupils but the inspection team wanted to see evidence of more widespread and rapid progress by the pupils.”

Coun Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services, said: “I welcome the decision to approve an IEB at Bradford Moor Primary. A lot of hard work is taking place to put things in place which will bring about rapid improvement at the school so that it comes out of the special measures category as swiftly as possible.”