A secondary school that was under-fire has achieved the highest exam result improvement in the North West.
Stockport Academy is celebrating after it has more than doubled the pupils who are getting good results, even after being dubbed as ‘inadequate’ last year.
The school was failed by Ofsted inspectors after the Heathbank Road school showed records of low attendance and poor performance.
The school is still under formal Ofsted notice to improve, but teachers have been boosted by the dramatic improvement in GCSE results.
The result went from only 25% of pupils having five good grades, including English and Maths, to 51%.
The school has received an official reward from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust for the improvement in their grades.
The school was rebranded in 2007, and went from being Avondale High to Stockport Academy with help from the United Learning Trust charity. Pupils and staff moved into a new £28m building on Avondale’s playing fields.
Principal Tim McCarthy stood down from his position, six months after the damning Ofsted report was released. Kathy August, principal of Manchester Academy in Mosside, was found as a temporary replacement, and oversaw the majority of the improvements. The latest report has praised the school for their progress.
Ben Dunne has now been appointed as the school’s new principal, and he has said that he hopes that the improvements continue under his leadership: “This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and students. It is also a demonstration of what can be achieved and we are now setting our sights on even better results later this year.”