DfE's support for Propps Hall's vision

Propps Hall's Executive Headteacher Gillian Kay

Staff at a Failsworth school that was hailed as a ‘wonderland for children’ is now set to share its expertise and help improve education across the borough.

Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School has been chosen as a National Support School (NSS) and the Executive Headteacher, Gillian Kay, as a National Leader of Education (NLE).

The school will join a group of Oldham institutions which work with their peers to improve standards, including the newly designated Teaching Schools at Oldham Sixth Form College and Greenhill Primary.

Teachers at the school will now work with staff from other facilities, supporting them and sharing best practice so they can deliver the best education for their pupils.

Kay said: “We are delighted that the Department for Education supports our vision on how we can support other schools.

“School-to-school support and engaging in professional partnerships is vital for developing a self-improving system.

“Improving outcomes for children within our own schools and beyond them is what we strive to achieve. We are proud of the journey our school and staff have taken and their commitment to improving educational standards in Oldham.”

Cllr Amanda Chadderton, Cabinet Member for Education and Early Years, said: “Propps Hall is a fantastic school and it has great teachers who help bring the curriculum alive for pupils.

“We’d like to congratulate Gillian on being appointed as a National Leader of Education as her hard work, and that of her staff, has ensured the school is seen as a beacon of learning and attainment.

“We are pleased that these good practices will now be shared with other schools – helping to boost attainment, results and standards.”

Ofsted inspectors visited Propps Hall in July last year and rated the school as ‘outstanding’.

They noted: “The headteacher is inspirational. She is supported by a highly skilled deputy and leadership team and motivated staff.

“In this exceptionally innovative and successful school, staff work together to give pupils an outstanding education from the start.

“The school is a wonderland for children. Classrooms are enchanting places to learn.

"Themed rooms such as the woodland, space and ocean rooms are stimulating settings for further learning.”