Failing Leeds school transformed 'at rate of knots' - Ofsted

The school has been rated outstanding in many areas

A failing school in one of the most deprived parts of England has turned itself around "at a rate of knots", inspectors have found.

Richmond Hill Academy in Burmantofts, Leeds was put into special measures in 2017 after Ofsted raised concerns.

Inspectors said "exceptional leadership" had brought about a transformation and described aspects of the school as "breathtaking".

It was praised for helping parents find jobs as well as providing a food bank.

The academy has 614 pupils aged between three and 11, with 47 different languages spoken among them.

Out of all the schools in the city, it has the highest number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals as well as double the city average number of pupils who have special educational needs and disabilities.

Parent Kirsty Toulson said every teacher in the school "had a smile on their face"

The latest government deprivation report placed the area where the school is among the top 2% of deprived places in England.

Headteacher Anna Mackenzie said when she took over in 2018 the school "was not in a good place" and there were "many challenges".

She said while the most important job was "what was going on in the classrooms" it was important to support families too to ensure pupils achieved.

Parent Kirsty Toulson was able to find employment with the help she received from the school which has boosted her mental health.

"It's given me a reason to get up on a morning other than just my own child. I'm earning my own money and I've been wanting to do that for a while."

She added: "It goes above and beyond not just for the pupils but for the parents."

Pupils behaviour was described as excellent by Ofsted with the report noting that the kindness taught in nursery "only improves as pupils move through the school".

Inspectors described staff as feeling happy and listened to, with one teacher stating: "I walk out of school happy every day".

Ms Mackenzie said the turnaround meant the school was no longer one that parents wanted to avoid.

"It was a leap of faith really to send their children here because if they looked us up online it was the previous report they saw.

"But now to have parents say to us that they would like to move out of the area but they don't because they want their children to be able to stay here that is a sense of enormous pride for us."