Ofsted find little improvement at Copley Academy

Education chiefs have branded the Stalybridge school’s improvement plan as ‘not fit for purpose’ and criticised its leadership.

Copley Academy was rated ‘Inadequte’ and placed in special measures by Ofsted, following an inspection last October. The schools was told to urgently improve the quality of teaching, make the curriculum more challenging and improve attendance.

A follow-up monitoring inspection in April found little improvement.

The inspectors acknowledged that Copley’s leadership team are determined to improve the school, but said that weaknesses remain “at every level of leadership”.

“Many leaders are new to their roles,” the report reads. “They lack the experience and knowledge required to lead their areas effectively. Hence, the capacity to secure swift improvement is limited.

“Moreover, their efforts have been hampered by high levels of staff absence in several subjects. As a result, the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils are not improving at the pace required.”

In a statement, Copley Academy Principal, Sarah Gregory, acknowledged the job at hand to improve the school, but focused on the positives Ofsted found, such as tracking pupil’s progress and improvements in attendance, although over a quarter of Year 11 pupils are regularly absent from school.

Mrs Gregory said: “The Ofsted monitoring visit confirmed that although there are pleasing green shoots emerging, there is a big job of work yet to do, and myself and my staff, although of course disappointed, remain resilient and laser focused on the future.

“The report acknowledges that we are all “more determined than ever to improve Copley Academy”. It also recognises that we have “acted to improve the level of challenge offered by the curriculum” by making changes, and that we have “implemented effective systems to check on pupil progress and ensure assessment is accurate” as well as having “accurate information about the individual barriers that pupils face”.

“The inspectors also noted that the work done to improve the attendance of our students has had a positive impact – something we have worked hard to achieve, and talks about the strides made in certain curriculum areas.”

Described as ‘not fit for purpose,’ the report says Copley’s improvement plan is ineffective, with unrealistic targets leaving staff and pupils frustrated at the lack of improvement.

Low staff morale is reflected in high rates of staff absence, with some pupils telling inspectors how they’ve had several different teachers in some subjects.

Looking ahead, Mrs Gregory said: “We have already responded to and taken on board the feedback given on our improvement planning; the newest version, which has been revised since the inspection, is available for all to see on our website and will continue to be revisited as we make progress.

“As Principal I feel my responsibilities keenly and I continue to be unswerving in my focus to give all I have to deliver the very best for our Copley community. I am blessed to be working with a team of staff that care very, very much about our young people and who continue to work extremely hard with them every day – even when the going gets tough.

“I have no doubt that this, combined with the ongoing support of parents, carers and friends of the Academy, will ensure Copley continues to move forward.”

You can read the latest Ofsted report at reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/139294.