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13
Nov
Masham school improving but remains in special measures
Masham Church of England Primary School has improved but still requires special measures, Ofsted has said.
Government inspectors published a letter to executive headteacher Jane Wood this week following their recent visit.
Masham was rated ‘inadequate’ after an inspection in January 2024.
The school was placed under special measures and has since received two follow-up monitoring visits – one in January this year and another in September — to assess progress.
Inspectors said improvements had been made during both visits, but further changes were required.
This week's letter said the school’s leadership structure had changed, which had "created a sustainable model for the school". It added:
A new headteacher has recently been appointed and there have also been changes to the teaching and support staff teams. Recent collaboration with other local schools and continued professional development of staff have added strength and capacity to the school.
Inspectors also said the curriculum had improved but remained ‘inconsistent’.
They added:
Too often, pupils’ misconceptions are not addressed swiftly. This limits pupils’ ability to learn and remember the knowledge set out in the curriculum.
The school reception was praised for “high-quality phonics teaching” and the quality of support plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities was described as “hugely improved”.
Safeguarding arrangements at the school were also determined to be effective.
Me Wood said:
We are pleased that the report acknowledges that our school has made significant steps since its last inspection to help drive sustainable and positive change for the future.
Recognition was also given during the monitoring inspection of the positive behaviours and atmosphere within our school.
We have exciting plans to develop the school building and grounds which we anticipate will make a significant and positive difference to our children and staff.
These are all positive steps as we look to continue the school’s improvement journey and I would like to thank our staff for their continued commitment and professionalism, and our parents for their continued support. We remain committed to doing everything we can to maintain this positive momentum.
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