School is back on track, reports Ofsted (From Bury Times)
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School is back on track, reports Ofsted
12:50pm Wednesday 20th February 2013 in News
A SCHOOL judged to be inadequate last May has since made significant progress.
Monitors from education watchdog Ofsted visited Elton Primary School, in Alston Street, Bury, nine months ago and gave it the bottom grade, citing inconsistent teaching and falling pupil achievement.
But inspectors returned on January 15 and published their progress report last week.
Lead inspector Adrian Guy wrote: “The school is making satisfactory progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils’ achievement.”
Last September, the school took on a new deputy headteacher, three new teachers and a new section leader.
Teachers meet more often to discuss how they can improve marking of work and the school is making better use of a computer system that tracks pupils’ progress.
Governors and senior staff have received extra training and a new staff appraisal system is in place.
Mr Guy added: “The headteacher Anthony Emmott has a clear and honest view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.
Mr Emmott said: “We are pleased that we are on the right track to coming out of the notice of improve.”
Inspectors stressed the need to ensure the school’s improvements had an impact on the standards and the quality of teaching.
Mr Guy added: “Pupils’ behaviour remains positive. A few of the small group of pupils who spoke to the inspector said they heard racist and homophobic language, but all were confident that if it were reported it would be dealt with effectively by teachers.”
Mr Emmott said: “Children of all ages come out with inappropriate things.
“The homophobic language is basically children using the word ‘gay’ out of context.
“Any racist or inappropriate comment that children come out with on the playground is always dealt with.
“As part of our personal and social education classes, we do talk to pupils about respecting people’s differences, but the ‘gay’ language issue has never come to light until now.”
