Leeds Academy with 'clear ambitions' appoints new headteacher after being told to improve by Ofsted
A west Leeds academy has appointed a new headteacher after being told to improve by Ofsted.
Crawshaw Academy, located on Robin Lane, Pudsey, has announced the appointment of Mr Iain Addison as their new Headteacher, who will take up his role in January 2025.
Mr Addison’s appointment is described as a “significant step in the strengthening of the Senior Leadership Team” at Crawshaw, part of a proactive programme of school improvement led by Red Kite Learning Trust.
The news comes after the academy was rated Requires Improvement in three out of four inspected categories - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management - during a recent Ofsted inspection.
The education watchdog said: “The school has clear ambitions for pupils to achieve their best, underpinned by a belief that they deserve every opportunity to succeed. Older pupils and staff acknowledge the positive changes that are being made to improve the education on offer.
“However, some pupils do not achieve well enough. The quality of education that pupils receive is varied across subjects and within subjects.”
While highlighting the work still to be done, inspectors acknowledged the positive strides already being made, stating that the school and trust have “correctly identified and are addressing the areas that need to improve” and that, “new leaders are taking the right actions to improve the school.”
The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. However, these are not consistently realised. While many pupils exhibit positive behaviour, some do not behave well enough.
Focusing on areas of improvement, inspectors added: “The ambition of the planned curriculum is not consistently achieved across the school. On occasions, teaching does not sufficiently consolidate prior learning, limiting pupils’ ability to securely move on to new knowledge.
“The targets and teaching strategies for pupils with SEND in mainstream classrooms sometimes lack clarity and are not sufficiently tailored to their individual needs. This limits how well these pupils can access the curriculum.”
The school prioritises and actively works to improve attendance, particularly for pupils who have previously experienced disruption to their learning.
Staff take pride in working at Crawshaw, “knowing the school and trust prioritise their well-being” and offer valuable support and training opportunities.
Commenting on the Ofsted report, Director of Secondary Education at Red Kite Learning Trust, Erica Hiorns, said: “We had already identified the areas in need of improvement and have been working hard over the last year to implement measures to address these concerns.
“We are really pleased that Ofsted recognised the effectiveness of these efforts, and we are confident that with new leadership and support from across our Trust we can ensure a consistently high quality of education for all our young people at Crawshaw.”
Until Mr Addison officially starts his post in the new year, the current Interim Headteacher at Crawshaw and current Executive Headteacher for Red Kite Learning Trust, Mr Matthew West, will continue to lead the school.