Two Tameside high schools rated as inadequate by Ofsted

Two of Tameside's high schools have been rated as 'inadequate', the lowest rating given out, by the schools inspector Ofsted.

Longdendale High School in Hollingworth and Rayner Stephens High School in Dukinfield, both managed by AspirePlus Educational Trust, were given the ratings after inspections in February and March 2020.

Longdendale High School was given the damning rating in two categories - “Behaviour and attitudes” and “Leadership and management.”

In “Quality of Education” and “Personal Development” they received the higher grade “Requires improvement.”

In the report the body described how: “By the time they leave Year 11, pupils make much less progress than pupils in other schools due to issues such as disruptive behaviour and bullying.

The English, art and drama departments were singled out for praise, with Ofsted saying: “pupils reach high standards because the curriculum is ambitious, and teachers are skilled” but criticised other subjects where “a weak curriculum and lots of staff changes have stopped pupils from achieving well.”

In a press release to the Tameside Reporter, headteacher Andrea Jones said: “We are extremely confident that the actions and plans we have put in place will secure ongoing improvement to both the examination results and personal development of all learners. We look forward to working closely with our community during this phase of rapid improvement for the school.”

The release also says that they recognise there are areas where they need to improve, but the they are fully committed to addressing and resolving the issues raised.

They also paid tribute to the pupils saying: “The vast majority of our learners are polite and respectful, and demonstrate excellent attitudes to all aspects of school life on a daily basis. We are exceptionally proud of them and everything they achieve.

At Rayner Stephens, they were rated Inadequate in the “Quality of Education” category, whilst being rated as “Requires improvement” in “Behaviour and Attitudes” and “Personal Development”. The academy was rated as “Good” in “Leadership and Management.”

The report heaps praise on the school’s changing culture, saying that “pupils feel happy and valued” and that “pupils are more tolerant of each other and of difference.”

Like their sister site, the inspectors criticised the frequent staffing changes, saying that it made it harder for pupils to learn.

They said that while the curriculum was clearly planned, their is variation in how it is delivered, but point out that behaviour has improved and that pupils moral and cultural awareness is well developed, singling out work done on Martin Luther King and environmentalist Greta Thunberg.

In response the headteacher of Rayner Stephens High School, Fay Beach, issued a statement that said the leadership team and staff have been and at work raising the standards at the new school. In it she said: “The overall judgement remains inadequate, however the report highlights the significant challenges faced by the leadership team especially the issues of recruitment that made it difficult in the first two years of the new school to bring GCSE results up to national standards.

“However, the report was extremely positive about the work done by all leaders in improving the school which led to them grading leadership of the school as good.

“The past couple of years have been challenging with an intense period of change for staff, learners and parents. I am very proud of how our community has worked together to make sustained improvements. There is still more to do but we are confident that the successes that have already been achieved and the robust long term plans that are in place will support continued rapid improvement.”