As Vice-Chair of Governors at Longton High, I am delighted to report to everyone at Pitsnpots that, just before half term, Ofsted visited to carry out a 2 day inspection, and the result was great! The actual judgement from Ofsted was "good". This in itself doesn't sound too exciting, but when you consider it's only one judgement below "outstanding", it shows just what good teaching and learning is going on at Longton High, despite the difficult circumstances it finds itself in.Here are a few quotes from the Inspector's letter:
"The overall effectiveness of how creative learning is developed was judged to be good".
Achievements and Standards
"Results in Key Stage 3 have risen sharply from 2004, and in 2008 they met the school's challenging targets. Standards at Key Stage 4 have also improved, with vocational courses in the creative specialist subjects supporting students to overcome a range of barriers to learning and to make good progress overall."
Quality of the Curriculum
"Innovative timetable arrangements enable talented Year 7 students to learn alongside high performing students in Year 8, to accelerate their progress in science, for example.
Extra-curriculur activities such as a street dance group are exploiting the performing arts expertise. They are also enabling students from different backgrounds to collaborate well and build their communication skills as they pass on their skills and enthusiasm to primary school pupils."
Leadership and Management
"Leadership and management are promoting and embedding creative learning well..... they see it as the most effective way to raise standards, promote inclusion and community cohesion, and to maintain a high level of commitment to continuous improvement across the whole staff in the face of students' increasingly challenging needs and suddenly falling rolls as a result of the school's planned closure."
Equality and Diversity
"The school promotes equality and diversity well. The gap between the standards reached by students from minority ethnic heritages has been reduced. Lesson planning consciously considers the range of learning styles that need to be accommodated. "
On behalf of Pitsnpots bloggers, I would like to publicly congratulate the Headteacher and every member of staff at Longton High on this fantastic Ofsted report. I would also like to thank them for all their hard work, commitment and loyalty to the school, in what are very stressful and uncertain times.
What is absolutely certain is that the LA needs to get behind these staff, to support them fully in securing their future. There are now positive signs that this is starting to happen. This result shows that Longton High has some fantastic staff who fully deserve the support of the Local Authority.
And let's not forget the kids in all of this. They too did fantastically, many of them spoke directly to the Inspectors, and students also impressed the Inspectors in the lessons they observed. Their parents should be proud of them.
To all Longton High parents and students out there - be proud of your school. It might be closing, but it's doing well and we have an Ofsted result to prove it. Well done to everyone! Please feel free to add messages of support and congratulations....
21 comments:
what a promising result, i as a parent am overjoyed to hear this news, it just shows what we have all been saying for some time now.
These kids work hard and want to do well, my daughter is in the street dance group & loves it, i would'nt be able to afford taking her to a dance studio at this present moment.
WELL DONE LONGTON.
you show them all before the school closes.
We are really proud of this Ofsted Report, as it has come at a time, when the school has been issued with its closure notice, and staff and pupils are facing lots of uncertainty.
Well done to everyone!
Dangermouse, I am really pleased you've read this blog, as I know you have been concerned about the school.
This Ofsted result proves it isn't just the governors saying the school is doing well.
The kids deserve it. Tell your daughters to hold their heads up high when they say they go to Longton - that's what I tell mine!
As parents, we need to encourage other parents to go to school and see what the teachers are doing with the kids. We need to support the school, the staff and the kids right up until the school closes.
We will not close under a cloud! We will stand proud and continue to get the very best out of all the kids!
Well done to everyone at Longton High, I am so proud of them all.
Well done Longton.
Congratulations to Longton High.
A well deserved boost to morale, during difficult times. Fantastic achievement.
To the staff at LHS, thank you for all your hard work & dedication, you are appreciated.
To the students of LHS,you have worked hard & are achieving results to be proud of.
LHS maybe closing but standards will continue to improve.
Well done!!
Alison,
Thanks for posting this great news. I am so glad to hear how well Longton is doing given the terrible circumstances they have been put in by the powers that be at the council. Congratulations to all the staff and pupils and their families and of course to the governors!
You make the following point:
"What is absolutely certain is that the LA needs to get behind these staff, to support them fully in securing their future. There are now positive signs that this is starting to happen."
I wholeheartedly agree with that first sentence and I am encouraged by the second. We must note however that this is happening way too late, an awful job the council and serco have made of this up to now. Back when Ibbs took over the children's and young people's potfolio I emailed him about the bsf issues and pointed out that the security of staffing and consequent provision of good education to the pupils at Longton High was the most urgent priority to be attended to. He did not even have the decency to reply to my email! I hope the positive signs that you are seeing are not just empty words from Ged Rowney - who does at least reply to emails. Keep the pressure up on him, make sure he puts words into writing, then insist he backs them up with action. Just because the school is doing well in the ofsted report it doesn't mean he can let it slide. Ged says he is only too aware of his responsibilities to provide a good education during the transition to closure. So get him to prove that he will do something. I am cynical I know, but I am just looking at what has happened (or rather hasn't) to this point. Keep at him and don't let him off the hook!
Well this just shows the LA have got it completely wrong as to the schools that are closing! Trentham results only bettered by St Joseph's and an excellent ofsted at Longton. Now take in to account the Edensor fiasco (Marbellagate) and the fact that seven of the governors knew nothing and the fact that Sandon has been put into special measures (not out in the public domain yet!) This is an embarrassment to the LA/Serco and I should know.... I work there!
Insider at Stoke - so Sandon has been put into special measures has it? That is extremely worrying given the fact that the LA and Serco have been blathering on for months about how fantastic the school is and how wonderfully well all our children are going to do when they are all herded off to their brand new academies. The plan has plainly gone no deeper than the school buildings and quality of teaching is an irrelevance. I am sure that everyone at pitsnpots would be interested in any other little nuggets of information you have - such as when the general public are going to hear about Sandon!
Thanks insider, Sandon in special measures - it's in the public domain now, as we are a public domain at pits'n'pots. We've been hearing this rumour for quite a while, when are Sandon/serco/LA going to admit it publically?
I believe the head teacher has appealed the decision, that is why it hasn't been made public yet.
The so called "Parkhall Academy" is going nowhere near Parkhall. We can't leave the sacred ground of Bentilee without a school, so it will be built ON (not around) Wilfield........ That's all for now as i am sure you are aware, I must be careful.
Well done to the hard working staff and kids at Longton High, a fine hard working school let down by the council and serco. This result was without a 4 day trip to Spain for the staff that did'nt happen and a waste of public money, must have a better head theacher then some. There I will stop the Mercer bateing, for now.
Insider. You say on the Willfield site. That is not a shock to any of us.
We understand that there is a meeting on the 17th November, to discuss the siting of the school.
I personally, think that Willfield is a safer site for the pupils, rather than on the gasometer.
We will have to see.
Just out of interest, where is the Willfield site? And is Edensor still going to be the predecessor school for that particular academy?
Amy
Do you know know where the gasometer is, on the roundabout where Anchor Road and Park Hall Road meet? Well, go to the next roundabout, you will see Lidl and little pub on the corner. You go right round the roundabout, and onto the Bentilee estate. Carry straight up that road, right to the top, and you turn right, just off the bend. Its there.
Access road is very small from the estate, but there is an unadopted road, off Dividy Road, that could be used, for better access.
Its a nice spot, and overlooks the hills at Park Hall.
Amy, forgot to say.
Edensor is the Predecessor school for the Academy, but it does mention on the Agenda for the Overview and Scrutiny meeting on 17th November, that Mitchell will be too. Not sure if this is confirmed though.
Mind you, with the amount of hot air the head of ECT as been puting about at the moment, the gosometer site seem rather apt...lol. I could not resist that one, and I will now stop haveing a go at him.
I have just attended the Year 11 presentation evening at Longton High, where the leavers from this summer picked up their GCSE certificates.
I would like to congratulate all the students, who did extremely well. They have all enjoyed themselves tonight.
Thanks to Mrs Webber (Headteacher) and all her dedicated staff, for providing us with a lovely evening.
It was obvious during her speech how proud Mrs Webber is of the students, past and present, and the school itself.
This year's GCSE results were the best ever, and all the students should be very proud of themselves.
Well done to everyone at Longton High.
Mrs Webber says she is already being contacted by ex students, suggesting a big party when the school eventually closes. Let's go out with a bang! A big party must be arranged. Watch this space!!
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