Stanground Academy has made good progress in the past year, an Ofsted report has revealed.
The Academy has been open less than a year, however the inspection was carried out because the academy’s predecessor school, the Stanground College, was judged to be a school causing concern. Inspectors scrutinised records and documentation, observed lessons and met with pupils, staff and members of the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust (GDFT), sponsor of the Stanground Academy.
Ofsted inspectors visited the school in January, and published their monitoring report today. In the report they said: “When the academy opened in April 2012, students’ attainment was low. For instance, the government’s floor targets were not met in 2012, largely because students did not make sufficient progress, particularly in English.
“In a very short time, the academy has raised the attainment of students, particularly those that are in the middle of the ability range, largely through a very well-organised intervention programme. As a result, the current data suggests the academy is on course to significantly improve the proportion of students attaining five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, in GCSE qualifications.”
The report was welcomed by Ged Rae, Principal at the Stanground Academy, who said: “We have made outstanding progress over the last two terms and staff and pupils are rightfully proud of their achievements. We have ambitious plans for the Academy and as this report shows, whilst we still have a long way to go, we are heading in the right direction and on course to significantly improve the number of pupils achieving five A* to C GCSE grades, including English and mathematics.”
Barry Day, Chief Executive of the GDFT, said: “It is less than a year since we took over the Stanground College and I am delighted with this very positive inspection report. My congratulations go to Mr Rae and his senior management team for successfully bringing about improvements in key areas. The outcome of this inspection should give additional confidence to parents that we are moving the Academy in right direction.”