Wenlock C of E junior school in Luton is working hard to move out of special measures says Ofsted

A Luton school is working hard to move out of special measures, an Ofsted inspector has found.

Wenlock C of E junior school, on Beaconsfield Road, was judged to be inadequate in an inspection in November 2021, but a monitoring visit in July found the school had been making significant changes.

Inspector Kristian Hewitt said: “With the support of the diocese and local authority, effective action has been taken to provide stable leadership in the school. This has included the appointment of an established member of senior staff as an acting headteacher and the support from an experienced consultant headteacher, for up to three days per week.

“Following a full review of governance, a new governing body has been recently established. This is made up of members identified for the range of skills and expertise they can contribute, to support improvement in the school.

“Leaders have been united in securing sustainable change in safeguarding arrangements and the quality of education in the school. They have used ongoing rigorous and critical analysis to identify weaknesses in provision, honestly and accurately. This has informed a

realistic strategy for improvement and a precise development plan. Historically, in the absence of effective governance, leaders have made effective use of external partners to provide assurances that pupils’ experiences and the quality of education have been improving.”

She said leaders were showing a steadfast commitment to improve the school aided by a new governing body.

“The approach leaders have taken up to this point validates their ambition to bring about sustainable change, Ms Hewitt said’ “This is to ensure that there is reduced pressure to make short-term decisions that may not be in the interests of pupils. All staff and leaders are united in this vision. Staff in the school are also realistic about the early stages of progress made so far.”

Safeguarding has also improved, with effective and ongoing training.

“Pupils are confident that their voices are listened to and that they are safe in school. Leaders have further intentions to strengthen the practices in place and to fully establish the culture of safeguarding that now exists. At this stage, leaders are ensuring that pupils are well looked after, and safeguarding arrangements are securely in place,” she said.

“Leaders are working to establish a broad curriculum that is ambitious to meet the needs of pupils in the school. This plan goes beyond a core expectation to meet the demands of the national curriculum.

“Staff have been engaged in the redesign of the curriculum to make sure that it is a shared priority, that is fully realised. Changes have been agreed and work is underway for a relaunch in September 2022.

“Staff are united in the view that important changes made by leaders are making a difference to pupils in the school. They appreciate and value the clarity of direction provided by the leadership team in place. They feel empowered, included and listened to.”

Headteacher Rebecca Lightfoot said: “The Governors and I are delighted with the report that clearly acknowledges the hard work of the whole staff team and community as we continue to rapidly build on our success to ensure excellence for all.”