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Mar 2024

Last Updated: 04/03/2024

Rossett School making 'significant improvements' after poor Ofsted

by John Plummer

| 04 Mar, 2024

rossett-mr-milburn-with-students-2023-5-1

Ofsted has said Rossett School in Harrogate still requires improvement but progress is being made.

A previous visit by the government schools' inspector in November 2022 concluded Rossett 'requires improvement' amid concerns about high staff turnover, disruptive pupils and extremely high absence rates among disadvantaged students.

This poor grading led to a government inspector returning on January 23 this year for a monitoring inspection.

Monitoring inspections do not grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but identify and report on progress.

The new report, which has just been uploaded on Ofsted's website, said in its judgement:

"Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the school to become good."

Its main findings said "significant improvements" had taken place since former Harrogate Grammar School deputy headteacher Tim Milburn was appointed headteacher in September last year.

The Red Kite Learning Trust, which the school joined at about the time of Mr Milburn's arrival, created an interim executive board to strengthen governance and support school leaders.

The Ofsted report said:

"The school has secured improvements in pupils’ behaviour. Leaders have raised everyone’s expectations of pupils’ conduct. A new lesson structure has had a positive impact.

"Disruption to learning has reduced, and pupils engage well in lessons. Incidents of internal truancy have reduced significantly since the previous inspection."

But it added the number of suspensions has increased this year and "a minority of pupils continue to demonstrate challenging behaviour".

'Sharper focus' on attention

The report said leaders "have a sharper focus on attendance than was previously the case" but "some pupils do not attend school often enough".

It added:

"The number of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are persistently absent from school, although improved, is still too high."

The inspector concluded:

"The lessons I visited on this visit were purposeful and pupils were focused. Pupils are now benefiting from a curriculum that is helping them to know and remember more of what they have been taught. The school has clear improvement plans to address the next steps identified at the previous inspection.

"School and trust leaders have ensured that the school is improving quickly. You are aware that there is more work to do to improve published outcomes, particularly of disadvantaged pupils, and to increase pupils’ attendance.

'High expectations'

Rossett said in a statement the 2022 report had been a "catalyst for significant change" and there had been a "sharpened focus on ‘attitudes and behaviour’.

Mr Milburn (pictured above) said:

"We will continue to have high expectations for all students, whether it be about attendance, punctuality, uniform, or behaviour.

"These high expectations, which are rooted in our shared values, allow the individual and the whole community to work and learn in a safe, productive, and happy environment. Where students challenge those expectations, we will continue to take appropriate action that minimises the effect on those who are routinely choosing to do the right thing.

"This is an area where parental support is so powerful, and we will continue to work together to improve in this area.”

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Rossett School making 'significant improvements' after poor Ofsted

'Sharper focus' on attention

'High expectations'

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