RUSKIN Junior School has taken its first steps forwards under special measures with the support of Ferndale Community Primary School.

The Stratton school was slammed in November by Ofsted inspectors and told to buck up its ideas before more decisive action was taken against it.

But yesterday a letter, sent to the school’s acting headteacher Sarah Prevost earlier this month, was published, detailing improvements and the possibility of becoming a Ferndale-sponsored academy.

Following a visit on March 4, Simon Rowe, an inspector with Ofsted, said: “Senior and middle leaders are determined to raise the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement rapidly.

“In particular, leaders and teachers have conducted a more rigorous assessment of each pupil’s current working level and the gaps in each pupil’s learning.

“Well-targeted training is helping learning support assistants to develop their skills.

“As a result, they provide more effective support to pupils in classrooms and also deliver higher-quality small group sessions and one-to-one support to enable pupils at risk of underachievement to catch up.

“Teachers are now tracking pupils’ progress more rigorously through a much clearer understanding of what pupils should be able to do, given their age, ability and starting points.

“Leaders check the quality of pupils’ work alongside leaders from other schools to compare their judgements and ensure the information they hold on pupils’ progress is more reliable.

“Leaders and class teachers meet regularly now to discuss each pupil’s progress and plan any further support that pupils may need.

“The school’s analysis of pupils’ current achievement indicates that pupils are making better progress than before, and work in pupils’ books confirms this view.

“Leaders at all levels have raised expectations of the quality of teaching across the school.

“Leaders monitor teachers’ planning and pupils’ work more frequently and accurately.

“As a result, they have a much clearer understanding of each teacher’s strengths and developmental needs.”

Sarah praised the work of Ferndale’s headteacher, Gary Evans, in addressing the letter she received, and said no decisions had been made on the possibility of becoming an academy.

“We are really pleased with the letter that’s come from HMI (Her Majesty’s Inspector). It’s a reward for all the hard work everybody has been putting in,” she said.

“Determination is a word which stands out from the letter and that is something everybody is using to get us out of special measures.

“They (Ferndale Primary School) have helped us in looking at planning, looking at assessment work with all of their staff.

“We’ve had their teachers come here to work with ours and ours go to them to work with their teachers.

There are no decisions on that [academy conversion]. It is as they have said.

“It’s very early days and nothing’s been decided.

“It’s part of the process when a school gets into the position we are in.”

Sarah will return to her post as deputy head after Easter, with Andrew Beadnell, currently acting deputy head on secondment from Wroughton Primary School, as acting headteacher.