Mont à l’Abbé is one of two schools to have been independently reviewed recently under a new system which aims to assess and raise education standards in the Island in a more formal, public way.
It was described as having ‘outstanding leadership’ which provided pupils and staff with a happy and purposeful learning environment.
Meanwhile, First Tower School was also reviewed and found to be improving following the appointment of a new headteacher, Lyn Linton.
Its report concluded that her appointment in January 2019 followed a period of ‘considerable change in the school’s leadership and management leaving staff unsettled and unclear about the school’s vision and direction’.
But it adds: ‘Since her arrival, the headteacher has quickly gained a sound understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to improve. With the support of the newly appointed deputy headteacher, the senior leadership team have set a clear direction of improvement and started to address some of the priority areas.’
Teaching is described as of ‘variable quality’ across the school, with ‘pockets of stronger teaching’.
But the report concludes that ultimately too few pupils at the school are reaching the standards they should, particularly in reading, writing and maths, by the time they leave in Year 6.
First Tower has higher-than-average proportions of Pupil Premium students and those with special educational needs and with English as a second language.
A series of recommendations have now been made, including changes aimed at increasing the number of students meeting those targets and improving the effectiveness of leadership and management.
Recommendations have also been made for further improvement at Mont à l’Abbé. They include improving provision for post-16 students by working with the Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills, gathering and measuring more detailed data about pupils’ learning and drawing up a policy for how reading and writing are to be taught across the school.
Commenting on her school’s report, First Tower headteacher Lyn Linton said: ‘We welcome this independent report. The recommendations made in the report reflect a number of areas that we are already working hard to improve upon, and we acknowledge that improvements must be rapid. As a new senior leadership team, we are encouraged that the reviewers recognised that we have acted quickly to gain a clear and accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.
‘I am confident that we, in close partnership with CYPES, will be able to ensure progress is made in our school. We have every expectation of success and will work in co-operation with staff, children and parents to ensure that we provide the best education for the school community.’
Mont à l’Abbé headteacher Liz Searle said she was ‘delighted’ with their report. She added: ‘All of the recommendations made by the team are already part of our school development plan and form part of our ongoing improvements to provide the best for all our stakeholders.’
Education Minister Tracey Vallois said that the introduction of the Jersey Schools Review Framework reflected the government’s commitment to putting children first by raising standards.
The initiative, which started last September, will see a team of reviewers visit every Island school for three days and write a report on their findings. All reviews will be carried out within three years.
