MUCH of the talk over the past few months has been about what is going wrong in Swindon’s schools, but on Thursday two of the town’s biggest academies got to show what they’re doing right.

Swindon Academy and Nova Hreod welcomed the government’s Minister for School Standards, Nick Gibb MP.

He saw first-hand how two schools that have struggled with performance in the past are turning themselves around.

At Pinehurst’s Swindon Academy, he was given an overview of work going on across the school but a particular focus of his visit was the innovative grammar stream launched in partnership with Marlborough College in 2015.

The stream sees 30 of the most academically gifted pupils challenged in terms of academic performance, diversity of subjects, class preparation and homework expectations, discipline and personal determination.

For the minister, it was a first opportunity to see such a programme up close, he described the visit as “inspiring”.

“This is a school that serves a historically disadvantaged area and it is being run by a headteacher who is determined to give every pupil in this school the best education that they’re capable of having,” he said.

“The opportunities for these young people are significantly better than they would otherwise be. I think it is inspiring to see such a focus on a rigorous academic education for every pupil in this school.”

Principal Ruth Robinson said: “It was good for the minister to be able to come and see first-hand what we’re doing here.”

It was the first time anyone from outside the Swindon education sector had come to learn about the grammar stream.

“We’re very proud of it,” said Ruth. “We think it’s a wonderful opportunity for children right across the town. We’ve got children in the grammar stream from all over Swindon.

“There has been a lot of interest and now that it is open, people can see the quality.

“We have elite dancers and elite musicians and the grammar stream is now a third elite provision.

“There are many ways for children to succeed here, their hard work and passion makes the school better.”

Swindon Academy is part of the United Learning trust and has benefited from the sharing of best practice, of information, resources and the organisational expertise that a multi-academy trust can offer.

Also part of the same organisation is nearby Nova Hreod Academy, a school that has fought to turn round a perception of poor performance to achieve consistent academic improvements in the past two years.

Nick Gibb paid tribute to the “huge progress” that has been made at the school, describing it as a place where children were “learning, getting qualifications and improving their life chances”.

For Principal Darren Barton, the change has not come about as a result of any radical shift, but by getting the core fundamentals right.

Speaking after the minister’s visit, he said: “For me, it was a massive affirmation of the transformation that Nova Hreod has undertaken over the past two and a half years.

“We were able to showcase to the minister the fantastic work going on in the classroom, the quality of the teaching and learning and also to discuss the massive upturn in GCSE results – it was a brilliant day for the school.

“It’s the culture that makes the school. We expect every student to arrive on time, we have students who are very smart in blazer, shirt and tie and there’s an absolute zero tolerance on low level disruption in lessons.

“It really creates an environment where the focus is on learning and nothing else.”

As one of Swindon’s two representatives in Westminster, the ministerial visit provided a welcome opportunity for North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson to show that beyond the headline OFSTED criticism, there is impressive work being done at a number of schools in the town.

“I’m incredibly proud to showcase the very best that we have in Swindon,” he said. “I’m passionate that every child, regardless of background, should have that opportunity to fulfil their potential.

“We’ve got some brilliant teachers and brilliant schools. OFSTED did highlight that overall there were areas of concern and we all have a responsibility to take that on the chin and engage constructively.

“But this visit was about showcasing where we are getting it right – the transformation in both Swindon Academy and Nova Hreod has been fantastic.

“I’m very proud that I had the opportunity to show the minister that there were lessons that could be learnt from Swindon.”