Member Article

An outstanding result for local primary school

Hilton Primary Academy in Blakelaw (Hilton) has been judged outstanding by Ofsted on every single measure of its performance - a tremendous result for a school where for many years, standards were consistently low and progress weak across all year groups.

Hilton converted to an academy in September 2012 under the sponsorship of the Northern Education Trust. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement.

A change in the fortunes of Hilton really began with the arrival of Shirley Davison, headteacher, who took up her post prior to Hilton becoming an academy. Since then the data has shown a steady track of improvement with clear evidence that while the legacy of underachievement in the past was still an issue, the radical changes she had brought about to teaching of English and maths, was starting to make an impact.

The Ofsted report says: “Outstanding leadership and management have transformed the achievement and progress of pupils. The headteacher’s drive, passion and commitment inspire pupils and staff to achieve as well as they possibly can.

It goes on to say: “Pupils achieve exceptionally well because every opportunity is taken to develop their skills of communication, English and mathematics.”

In a school where the vast majority of children start school with skills and knowledge well below those typical for their age, progress across the school is now rapid, so this outstanding judgment is all the more remarkable. Behaviour in and around the school is excellent. Pupils are encouraged and willing to take responsibility for their own learning and their actions.

A delighted Shirley Davison, says: “This is a fantastic result for us. My team is absolutely amazing and has worked so hard to achieve this. Hilton pupils too, have shown a great dedication to concentration and learning. I would like to thank them all for their commitment and of course their parents and carers – everyone has played a huge part in securing this result.

“It is particularly pleasing to read that Ofsted inspectors recognised the efforts we have made to ensure that every child gets the best possible learning experience at Hilton and to discover that they really rate the quality of teaching we provide.”

Roger Alston OBE, chief executive of the Northern Education Trust, is not surprised by the outstanding judgment having seen at first-hand the dedication shown by Shirley and her team. He said:

“This is a well deserved result for Hilton. In one sense, it represents a huge achievement but at the same time, that has only come about as a direct result of the strong, visionary leadership and enthusiasm for success that Shirley brings to her role together with her ability to support, encourage and model positive behaviour across the school.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mandy Peel .