Troubled school making improvements, Oftsed says

A school that was put into special measures and where staff went on strike over poor pupil behaviour has started to improve, the regulator Oftsed has said.

Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland was found to need attention or urgent improvement across several areas following a full inspection in January, with the former head teacher stepping down in April.

An interim executive board was put in place by the county council and the school is now receiving support from a local multi-academy trust.

After a monitoring inspection in July, Ofsted said leaders "acted swiftly to improve pupils' experiences" and it was a "happier and more positive place to be than it was".

However, it noted the school was "reliant on this external support to maintain its improvement".

Inspectors reported better relationships between staff and pupils with improved behaviour, although it said lesson disruption continued on "some occasions".

They also said students were attending more regularly, with daily meetings held to identify those who were missing and "well-matched support" provided to remove any barriers to attendance.

Suspensions were "now appropriately used and have reduced significantly since the previous inspection", the report added.

Executive headteacher Kath Pigdon said: "While we are proud of how far we have come, we are equally excited about the next stage of our journey."

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