Turned-round Canonbury Primary School wins praise
Published: 3rd June, 2011
by ANDREW JOHNSON
A PRIMARY school told to pull its socks up by government inspectors has been removed from “special measures” just one year later.
In March last year, inspectors from Ofsted found that Canonbury Primary School, in Canonbury Road, was failing to provide an adequate education for its pupils and that staff at the time were not able to ensure its improvement. Weaknesses identified included the planning and pace of lessons, the failure to stretch more-able pupils and the underachievement of some pupils.
Inspectors said many problems were due to a lack of a headteacher for a long period of time.
However, new head Matt Britt, who started just two weeks before the initial inspection, has turned the school round. A follow-up inspection in May found enough improvement to remove the school from the “special measures” category, which meant its progress was heavily monitored.
“The governors and I took some bold decisions in restructuring the school last summer and in doing so created a leadership structure capable of rapidly addressing the concerns raised about teaching and learning,” Mr Britt said.