Progress at 'inadequate' school but still work to do

Idsall School has been in special measures since being rated inadequate in 2022

A secondary school which was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2022 has made some progress towards coming out of special measures, the regulator has said.

But in a letter to the headteacher of Idsall School in Shifnal, Shropshire, based on a visit in July, it said more needed to be done.

The monitoring visit report, published on Friday, said senior management at the school were "continuing to take the right actions, in the right order and at the right pace".

The headteacher, Michelle King, said she was "proud of the progress" made since Ofsted's last visit, which took place in March.

The inspector responsible for the latest report, Alexander Laney, wrote to headteacher to explain his findings.

He noted the school, which is now being supported by the Marches Academy Trust had added to its leadership team and filled most of its vacant posts.

Mr Laney also noted the school had changed its approach towards behaviour management.

He said the school had "reset the school’s expectations regarding pupils’ behaviour" and made it clearer for pupils and teachers to understand.

"This is beginning to have a positive impact," he said.

His letter also said he believed the school had "worked smartly to tackle the weaknesses in reading", but said in general teaching needed to improve.

Overall, the inspector concluded: "Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the school to be no longer judged as requiring special measures."

Following the publication of his findings, Ms King, who has been head since 2019, said: "We are encouraged by the positive feedback in this monitoring inspection."

She praised her leadership team, teachers and students and added: "We are taking the right steps to ensure our school is on the path to long-term success."

Ms King said Ofsted had agreed to carry out a full inspection this term.

These visits are where ratings are most often changed.

Mr Laney did not mention if progress had been made in safeguarding or in the school's support for children with special educational needs - two areas for which the school was criticised in the 2022 report.