School singled out as ‘pocket of excellence’

Mossley Hollins High School: praise in report

MOSSLEY Hollins High School has been singled out for praise in a hard-hitting letter criticising school standards in Greater Manchester.

Christopher Russell, Ofsted’s North-West regional director, sent the open letter to every council in Greater Manchester as well as to MPs and others involved in education. He says GCSE results have declined in many parts of Greater Manchester, painting a “worrying picture” for their employment prospects.

“It also presents a real risk to the economic and social stability of the area as a whole” he says, and brings into question the ability of the area to deliver the Government’s vision of a northern powerhouse.

Mr Russell questions the effectiveness of school improvement work, and how well it is being led.

He writes: “There are some pockets of excellence. The chief inspector’s annual report for 2014-15 celebrates the fact that Mossley Hollins High School in Tameside was judged to be outstanding.

“But too few pupils benefit from strong leadership, excellent teaching and high expectations seen in schools like Mossley Hollins. Too many pupils are left ill-prepared for the next phase of their education, training or employment.

Mr Russell describes the decline in results as “particularly disappointing” given the £50million spent on the Greater Manchester Challenge to raise standards which ran from 2008-2011.

He acknowledges that local authority officers and academy chains have improvement strategies in place, but adds: “What I cannot yet see, however, is sufficient evidence of the impact that these strategies are having on the life chances of young people in Greater Manchester.”

Drew Duncan, Mossley Hollins’ executive headteacher, responded to the chief inspector’s report with some pleasure but in the full knowledge there remains a lot to be done.

Mr Duncan said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition from Ofsted. Our teachers, students, support staff, governors, partners, parents and carers value education very highly and work together conscientiously to achieve our excellent results.”