Battle plans have been drawn by King's Wood School in Harold Hill to help carry it to a brighter future after it was placed in special measures by Government inspectors.

Staff, pupils and parents were rocked by the 'disappointing' news in May that the Settle Road school was deemed to be failing by inspectors who visited in April.

Head teacher, Chris Rudge, has now taken a step forward on the road to recovery by meeting with parents and sharing with them an action plan he believes will lead to improvements at the school.

Mr Rudge, who was pleased at the level of support shown for the plan, said: "The Governing Body, working with staff at the school, is putting in place a number of initiatives aimed at addressing these specific points.

"We hope we will be able to access the funding from the Local Education Authority to enable us to implement those initiatives as such moves do cost a considerable amount of money if they are to achieve the desired results."

The main concerns of the inspectors report were that attainment was low compared to the national average, attendance was below the national figures and standards of literacy and numeracy were below expected levels.

Mr Rudge however was pleased that the report highlighted a number of positive aspects of the school which included.

The curriculum is broad and balanced

The Key Stage Four curriculum is being developed to provide a better match to the needs and interests of the pupils

The quality of teaching was satisfactory or better in eight out of 10 lessons and good in a quarter of lessons

The quality of pupils learning was satisfactory or better in eight out of 10 lessons and good in a fifth of lessons

Relationships between pupils and teachers is good

The head teacher challenges underperformance in teaching and positively supports the professional development of all staff within the school

Mr Rudge added: "I am grateful to parents for the support they have shown to the school and the teaching staff."

"I am confident that in partnership we can move forward following this report."

Published Friday July 23, 2004

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