'Good' rating for Oldham school which battled 'boisterous behaviour' in the classroom

A school in Oldham has been awarded a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted after battling with a new curriculum and “boisterous behaviour” in the classroom. 

The Radclyffe School in Chadderton lost its ‘outstanding’ grade after an inspection in 2021, which found the school ‘required improvement’. But now the comprehensive for 11 to 16-year-olds is back on track, with inspectors praising the “ambitious”, “thoughtful” and “logical” approach to learning. 

Lead inspector Timothy Gartside and his team wrote: “The school is ambitious for all pupils. Staff are determined that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, gain the knowledge and skills that they need to thrive in their future lives.” 

The inspection at the end of February found the Cranmer Education Trust school was excelling at helping its pupils with personal development, providing “extensive” opportunities to join in with sports and extracurricular activities, and scoring well in exams. The more than 1400 students, who come from a variety of backgrounds, also “benefit from learning about each other’s cultural differences”, according to the report. 

The findings are a relief after a previous inspection commented that a previous curriculum system had left some pupils, including those with SEND requirements, with “insecure subject knowledge” and some younger pupils with gaps in their writing and reading skills. 

This time, inspectors found no such issues, with the quality of SEND support raised and teaching delivered in a “structured” and “logical” way that quickly identified students who were struggling. The school is also actively promoting reading for pleasure using a “spacious and well-stocked library”, according to Ofsted. 

The school’s headteacher John Cregg shared that he was “delighted” by the latest report. 

He said: “This improved judgement is a resounding endorsement and validation of the amazing commitment and extensive hard work undertaken by our staff team and our school improvement partners. 

“We know that there are some areas for further improvement and we are working hard to make sure these are addressed, as well as finding ways to make our amazing school even better across all areas.” 

Ofsted inspectors felt that behaviour during “social time” could be improved. Though pupils displayed “sensible behaviour” inside the classroom, the found that “the boisterous behaviour of a few older pupils sometimes makes younger pupils feel uncomfortable at break or lunchtimes.” 

The school is already making changes to combat this issue, said the report, but needs to apply new behavioural rules with more consistency.