A Leeds primary school branded “inadequate” by an education watchdog will be transformed into an academy to boost standards.
Over the past 20 years, Hillcrest Primary, in Chapeltown, has had 14 headteachers.
The Yorkshire Evening Post has previously revealed that educational psychologists had to be drafted in to curb youngsters’ bad behaviour. During their last visit in January, Ofsted inspectors deemed teaching in Key Stage Two to be “inadequate”.
Interim headteacher Alison Chinn, the head of Swinnow Primary School in Leeds, said: “The report is disappointing because it doesn’t respond to the good things that are going on in school.
“We recognise we are not as successful as we should be and that’s clearly identified by Ofsted inspectors and we need to improve.
“We have systems in place to support weaknesses in teaching and learning and we are engaging with the local authority and other agencies to support us in that process.
“The history of the school has been such that in the last 20 years they have had 14 headteachers.
“That in itself has had a negative impact on the school’s progress and the governors are keen that the academy status will bring the stability of a longserving headteacher. That is something it needs to help steer it in the right direction.”
Ofsted officials said there were “pockets of good teaching”, behaviour had started to improve and inappropriate behaviour had “reduced significantly”.
Academy status gives schools freedom from control by the local authority and gives heads freedom over their own budgets.
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