Ofsted rankings 'best ever' for county's schools

In 2022, James Calvert Spence College in Amble was rated "good" for the first time in an Ofsted inspection

A county council says its schools' Ofsted rankings are "the best they've ever been".

In 2013, a critical report found too many schools in Northumberland were receiving poor results from inspectors and a school improvement team was appointed.

Cabinet member for education, Conservative Guy Renner-Thompson, credits it for "turning the situation around".

Labour leader Scott Dickinson said better Ofsted results was "good news", but added it was "mostly due to the hard work of the schools themselves".

Ofsted rankings put Northumberland's schools above the regional and national average, according to a report being presented to the council's family and children's services overview and scrutiny committee.

"It reflects years of hard work and it's the first time in memory there are no inadequate schools in the county," Renner-Thompson said.

The school improvement team is made up of former headteachers who support schools and help them prepare for Ofsted inspections.

There is also a programme to support the mental health of headteachers.

Since 2022, 72 headteachers have been helped, with one calling it "career-saving".

Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson says it is the first time in memory there are no inadequate schools in Northumberland

"We have challenging times ahead," Renner-Thompson added.

"Because we do have falling numbers of children but we will try and keep schools open".

He also said that recruiting teachers "remains a challenge".

Dickinson said Labour welcomed the improvement but added: "The council has little, if anything to do with how schools perform.

"In reality, it's down to the extraordinary hard work of teachers and heads and an army of volunteers, like school governors, who give their time for free."

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