Inspectors say they are happy with high school's progress

Newtown High School has been taken out of special measures.

It was announced today that the school, which is split between Newtown and Presteigne, and with more than 1,000 pupils, had made enough progress for it to be removed from the measures.

Newtown High School’s last core inspection took place in May 2015 when inspectors found the school to be adequate. Following a monitoring visit in February 2018 inspectors concluded that the school had made insufficient progress against a number of recommendations for improvement and placed the school in Special Measures.

A statement said: "Since that time the school has been working with the support of Powys County Council, governors and other agencies, introducing reforms that have raised standards of achievement, strengthened teaching and learning, increased attendance and improved mechanisms for handling poor behaviour.

"The report states the school has focused suitably on raising standards, particularly in English and mathematics. In the lessons observed during this visit, many pupils engage well in discussions and use a suitable range of vocabulary to express their thoughts. Their contribution to whole class discussion is generally clear and confident. Most pupils engage positively in their learning during lessons. They engage well in group discussions and settle quickly to tasks."

It added: "One of the recommendations from the Estyn visit in 2018 focused on reducing instances of bullying.  Estyn Inspectors now recognise that the school has introduced a range of valuable strategies to tackle bullying and reported that most pupils feel that any incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively."

Jo Banks, Chair of Governors said  “The report recognises the effective teamwork between governors, members of the school leadership and staff; improved communication with parents and the increasingly strong voice of the pupils in the life of the school.”

“This school exists to serve the communities of Presteigne and Newtown well. This report shows that we have faced up to difficult challenges and are succeeding in delivering the improvements that were needed.”

Headteacher Rob Edwards said: “All at Newtown High School are delighted with the outcome of the recent Estyn visit. The report recognises the strong progress made at the school and this is due to the hard work of everyone in the Newtown High School community at both Newtown and John Beddoes. The school would like to thank the Local Authority and ERW for the support they have provided during this process.

“Since March 2020, the school has faced exceptional challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These include national lockdowns, distance learning protocols and staff and pupil absence. I am especially proud that Estyn have recognised the improvement journey we are on and have seen how, despite the challenges of the last 20 months and the additional difficulties caused by Covid-19, the school has taken significant steps forward. 

“The aim now is to build on this report and to continue to improve. We will not be complacent. There are areas for development that we need to address as we aim to become a consistently good school."