LEADERS at West Craven High School in Barnoldswick say they are very pleased with feedback from the first visit from Ofsted inspectors since the school was rated ‘inadequate’ at the end of 2019.

Principal Tracy Foy and, who took over at the beginning of last year, and the Pendle Education Trust team including Executive Principal for Secondary Education, Lynne Blomley, have made improvements, continuing with the work through the period of partial school closures due to the pandemic.

Ofsted inspectors spent two days in the school in March - actually visiting the school instead of carrying out the monitoring inspection remotely because of the last report - and have now concluded that progress has been made.

The report states that there is a strong culture of safeguarding right across the school, which currently has about 620 students on its roll, and that considerable structural changes have been implemented, benefitting students whether they have been learning at home or in school.

The report goes on to say that despite the onset of the pandemic, leaders continued with plans to develop the curriculum and invested in training to ensure that subject leaders have a clearer understanding of how to plan an ambitious curriculum, including for remote education.

Principal Tracy Foy said: “We are so pleased with the feedback. Despite the challenges of the past year with the pandemic , we have worked tirelessly on our improvement plan and we are pleased that the progress that is being made against our key priorities has been recognised.

“I’m really proud of how our entire school community has worked together to ensure improvements are made each day and I look forward to welcoming inspectors back for future visits to continue to show them the progress being made.”

The report continues that leaders are acutely aware of the importance of ensuring that students in Year 11 are fully prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training - including making time at the end of each day to help students catch up on any lost learning.

Lynne Blomley, Pendle Education Trust’s Executive Principal for Secondary Education, said: “We are pleased that the rapid progress we are making has been recognised by Ofsted. We are very proud of how we supported students and their families, including those with special educational needs, during the partial school closures. The Ofsted inspectors recognised this and how important this support has been to our students both educationally and in terms of their well-being.

Anita Ghidotti, Chief Executive of Pendle Education Trust, added: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to show Oftsed all the things we have improved and developed since their last visit.

“I would like to thank staff, governors, trustees, parents and of course our children – everyone has played their part. West Craven is at the heart of its community and all progress and future success comes from us all working together. We are proud of what we have achieved to date and continue to be committed to providing the very best education for all the children in our trust family.”