School's turnaround after first girls accepted
Lancaster Academy welcomed girls for the first time in 2018
- Published
A school that accepted girls for the first time in 2018 after being put into special measures has been rated "good" by inspectors.
Lancaster Academy - formerly Lancaster Boys School - was told to improve by Ofsted inspectors after a damning report in 2016.
The school in Leicester was undersubscribed and was told it risked closure unless improvements were made.
Pupils now say "day by day the school is getting way better".
Principal Anna Fisher arrived just 19 days before the Ofsted inspection which put the school into special measures.
"Lanky boys", as it was known, was told it would need to become an academy and joined the Learning without Limits Academy Trust in April 2017.
A year later, it was opened to girls after the principal consulted with parents, governors and staff.
An Ofsted report found Lancaster Academy was “welcoming and inclusive”
Nicole, a 15-year-old pupil who came to the school in Year 7, said she only had two girls in her form when she first started.
"We had a separation in the playgrounds where there were girls areas so that we could feel a bit safer and have our own small-knit community," she said.
"All the women found a way to get along with each other."
The school said 30% of its pupils are now girls.
Hashim, 16, added: "Obviously everything is changing, the dynamics of the school, because it's getting better I'm having a better experience."
The latest Ofsted report, which was carried out in February, rated the school as "good".
Inspectors found it was a “welcoming and inclusive” school where pupils felt safe.
Mrs Fisher added: “The journey started over eight years ago when I joined the school and this inspection outcome ensures that the school is now more ready for the future than it has ever been.
“This report is testament to the hard work and effectiveness of a dedicated and long-standing team of staff who really care.”
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