Schools on way to recovery after shock reports

People in Hailsham feared the "special measures" imposed on the schools marked the beginning of a crisis in education. Six months on, the outlook has changed. Andy Chiles reports on the new initiatives and plans for new school buildings which are making a real difference.

"The staff were absolutely devastated when it happened. It was really hard for them to take,"

said Bob Williams, a supply teacher who works two days a week at White House Primary.

He said: "They were all working very hard and I'm not sure they deserved such a harsh report."

He is referring to the report of the Ofsted inspection team who visited the school in North Street, Hailsham, in November. White House came in for heavy criticism. The inspectors said pupils were underachieving, some were not being adequately challenged and that the school's leadership team had been failing to identify and address its weaknesses.

The Ofsted officials rated the 183- pupil school as Grade 4, considered inadequate, and placed it into "special measures". This meant White House would be given a maximum of two years to turn itself round, under close scrutiny from East Sussex County Council and with Ofsted monitoring visits every six months.

The news came as a shock for Hailsham, a typical Sussex market town where the schools have not had a record of problems in the past.

More shocking though was the news that followed a week later when a second primary, Marshlands in Marshfoot Lane, was also placed in to special measures.

With a choice of just four primaries in the town, parents were understandably worried by having half of them considered to be failing.

Nigel Coltman, who represents Hailsham East on Wealden District Council, said: "It was a real eyeopener."

The town's other primaries Grovelands and Hawkes Farm were rated satisfactory and good respectively when they were last inspected. Ofsted gave secondary school Hailsham Community College a Grade 2, considered good, when they visited in March 2005.

Since November there has been a marked change at each of the "inadequate" schools.

As a result of the inspection reports they have been backed with a level of support from the county council which they could not previously have expected.

Consultants visit the schools almost daily to offer advice and guidance to the staff. They have drawn up tailor-made plans for each school to be implemented term by term, addressing standards in different subjects and for different groups of pupils.

New initiatives are being introduced to boost performance and the community has rallied around the schools.

Newly qualified teacher Helen Riddall, who has a Year 4 class at White House, said: "It has actually been a blessing in disguise. Because we've been in special measures we've received a huge amount of extra resources and training which we would not have had otherwise.

"I've been on one special training course already which has given me a lot of ideas that have made a real impact in lessons."

Rather than being put off by spending the first year of her career at a school to be so harshly criticised, Miss Riddall is enjoying the opportunity to work somewhere she strongly believes is now up-and-coming.

Among the criticism levelled at White House, one of the positives Ofsted inspectors agreed on was the atmosphere in the school which has made it popular with parents.

Many of the staff give credit for the atmosphere to new headteacher Heather Baldwin, who took her position last September, shortly before the inspection, and has gradually been turning the school around.

Mr Williams said: "The new head has made a great difference. She's come in with different ideas and picked the staff back up after a difficult time. Everyone is behind the school now and determined to make things work."

Mrs Baldwin, who came from Seaford Primary, believes the future is bright for White House, not least because of multi-million pound work already under way on completely new school buildings in Marshfoot Lane.

The school will make the short move across town in Easter 2008 as a result of a deal made by the council with Tesco, which will build a new supermarket on the current school site.

Mrs Baldwin said: "The facilities are going to be fantastic and one of the best things is the amount of involvement we have been able to have. Our teachers have been able to look at the plans and have input in how their classrooms will be.

"It will make such a difference. The school now is not bad but it is out-dated and not really adequate. We have a portable classroom in the playground.

"Because it has taken a long time for this scheme to come together we have suffered as well. There has been a view that it isn't really worthwhile investing in these buildings if they aren't going to be used for much longer."

Improving the "learning environment"

has been one of Mrs Baldwin's most important tasks. She said: "There have been simple things we have pursued. Some of the chairs we have are not very comfortable so we have allowed children to bring in cushions. If children are comfortable they are less likely to lose concentration."

New techniques have been employed in the classroom, particularly to improve the performance of boys, an area seen as a problem by Ofsted.

Miss Riddall's class have been taking part in some kung-fu punctuation classes. When she reads out a passage they have to make certain moves whenever there should be a punctuation mark.

She said: "It keeps things fun for them and the lesson sinks in. It uses up some of their energy as well."

Mr Williams has just completed a "learning journey" about Aztec civilisations with one of his classes, a new initiative for the school. The pupils have worked around an Aztec theme in all of their subjects, building Aztec temples in art, performing an Aztec play in drama and looking at the materials the culture used in science, for example. He said: "By bringing it all together children who are interested in one subject extend their interest to others as well."

White House staff are confident of turning their situation around.

Mrs Baldwin said: "We have made a lot of improvements already. Ofsted are due back for a monitoring visit at the end of May and we are confident they will be impressed. We are aiming to try to come out of special measures after their next visit in November."

Staff at Marshlands are similarly optimistic about the future of the school, despite some uncertainty in senior positions.

Peter Kavanagh, who was appointed head of the 172-pupil school days before its Ofsted inspection, is currently off with stress but has been replaced by a consultant "super-head"

Karen Bye, who is working hard to continue to improve the school.

Mrs Bye said: "The inspection was difficult for the staff but the negative impact has been overcome by excellent teamwork. I'm confident the inspectors will see an improvement when they come back."

Backed by the constant support of outside consultants, teachers at Marshlands have been working hard implementing new teaching methods to improve standards.

The school already looks impressive, with colourful displays lining the corridors, and it too is benefitting from Tesco's move into Hailsham. A new wing is being built to replace outdated parts of the school.

In its report the Ofsted team raised concerns about the instability of the Marshland leadership team and about poor attendance rates.

Mrs Bye said her appointment and that of a consultant assistant head meant there was now a period of stability at the top of the school.

An initiative called Cool Cats is about to be brought in to address attendance problems, which has proved successful elsewhere. Each week a toy will be awarded to the pupil with the best attendance record.

It is hoped the incentive will prove more effective than disciplinary attempts to address the problem.

Coun Coltman said he felt it would not be long before Hailsham's schools were back on the straight and narrow.

He said: "What happened was a blip and one that shouldn't have happened.

The issues for both schools, which are in one of the most deprived areas of East Sussex, are now being tackled.

"They are not only working to help the classes now coming through but also the ones above where results were not good. I don't think parents in Hailsham have anything to worry about."

How have the two schools improved since the Ofsted inspections? Leave your comments below.