School will be shut down unless it makes the grade (From Warrington Guardian)

School will be shut down unless it makes the grade

A WARRINGTON school faces closure unless it improves.

Education chiefs have come up with a plan of action to turn around the fortunes of failing Birchwood CE Primary School.

Government inspectors from Ofsted visited the school in June this year and 'special measures' were put in place - mainly due to 'weaknesses caused by disruptions to teaching and learning'.

As a result, the school has had to put forward a detailed plan of action with a timetable for when improvements will be made.

The report found that the effectiveness of the school, pupils' achievements and the monitoring of attendance are all 'unsatisfactory'.

Although the school has good links with the community and other schools and colleges, the report states that it has 'unsatisfactory links with parents'.

A meeting was held on Tuesday with parents to try to find a way forward for the school.

Warrington Borough Council says that 'parental involvement and support will be critical in addressing the attendance issues'.

Head teacher Elizabeth Williams said: "We are committed to, and confident, that we can improve standards at the school.

"Our priority is the education and welfare of our children and we are committed to overcoming the serious weaknesses identified in the report and improving services."

Although the school has been put on special measures, the report did highlight strengths.

In particular, children in the foundation stage are 'achieving very well thanks to significant improvement in provision that gives them a very good start'.

The school will be continually monitored before being re-inspected.

Schools that do not make acceptable progress could be closed by order of the Secretary of State for Education.