New headteacher appointed as Derbyshire primary school rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted

Stanley Common Church of England Primary School in Stanley Common, Ilkeston, was visited by Ofsted inspectors as a part of a ‘serious weaknesses monitoring inspection’.

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. The monitoring visit in November 2023 followed a full inspection in November 2022 when the school was rated ‘inadequate’.

In the report published in December 2023, inspectors said: “Stanley Common C of E Primary School remains inadequate and has serious weaknesses. Leaders have made insufficient progress to improve the school.

“Following the recent graded inspection, the school has not secured sufficient improvements in the curriculum, the provision for pupils with SEND, safeguarding, or pupils’ personal development. This means that the areas identified for improvement by inspectors at the previous inspection are still weaknesses.”

While inspectors appreciated that there is a plan in place to improve the curriculum, they found that there has been no improvements in reading since the last inspection so far. In mathematics, pupils have gaps in their knowledge because staff do not always follow the sequence of learning in the school’s scheme. In the early years, the curriculum ‘does not meet children’s needs well enough’.

The local authority’s plan for improvement was implemented ‘too late and too slowly, with too few checks to ensure that sufficient headway was being made’.

The school also faced ‘turbulence in staffing and governance’ – with a headteacher, three teachers and four governors stepping down – with an interim leadership team managing the school for a time being.

However, a new executive headteacher was appointed in September 2023, when the school started receiving support from the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, introducing hopeful changes.

The report reads: “Since September 2023, you have begun to address these issues with the urgency and rigour they require, but this work is at an early stage.

"The school is now benefiting from working with a local multi-academy trust. The trust has a good understanding of what the school needs to do to improve and how this will be achieved. However, this support is at an early stage.”