Cuckoo Hall Primary School
Background
Cuckoo Hall is a very large primary school in a challenging area
of North London. Historically the school had under achieved and had
been in special measures. When I joined the school in 2002
standards according to Ofsted still ‘needed to improve’.
I rapidly implemented a range of school improvement strategies,
based on my experience in raising standards in inner city schools.
Standards in literacy and mathematics began to improve, and by 2005
the school was in the top 1% of all schools nationally for progress
(contextual value added) and actual attainment was well above
national averages.
In March 2006 the school was judged to be ‘outstanding’ by
Ofsted.
Rationale for becoming a Foundation
school
Despite Cuckoo Hall’s obvious improvement I very quickly came up
against obstacles from the local authority. Formal reviews from LA
school improvement officers continually judged the school to be
‘satisfactory’ and were critical of the strategies being
implemented by myself.
Although I was keen to work in positive partnership with the LA
I knew that their advice would hold children’s achievement back,
and so continued with my overall vision, with the full support of
governors. This did not make me personally popular with LA
officers, even though the school received an outstanding Ofsted
inspection.
In addition to the difficulties experienced with school
improvement advisors, Cuckoo Hall was being very let down by the LA
in respect of building improvements and investment. The school was
built pre-war, with an infrastructure that has not kept pace with
the requirements of the modern curriculum and health & safety
requirements. In addition the school is on a run down sprawling
site linked to a secondary school. The secondary school had long
been assured of funding to move off the site, although no such
assurance in terms of funding and improvement was being given to
Cuckoo Hall.
Governors recognised that Cuckoo Hall had now become a very
successful school, and also recognised that this had been achieved
without the support of the LA. There was a collective vision that
the school could continue to succeed, and could gain more control
over the future of the school site if we became self-governing
through Foundation status.
Expected outcomes from becoming a Foundation
School
- Having the confidence to continue providing outstanding
educational provision for children
- Maintaining exceptionally high standards in actual
outcomes for children
- Having a dialogue with the LA, as equal partners, to explore
options for the Cuckoo Hall site
- Taking the opportunity to continue to explore the benefits of
becoming a Trust school (currently being undertaken)
Contributor
Patricia sowter
Cuckoo Hall Primary School