A troubleshooter parachuted in to oversee a struggling Spalding secondary school has left after helping to turn it round.
Executive headteacher at the Sir John Gleed School, Chris Mallaband, will leave the academy in the capable hands of headteacher Will Scott as he heads off to take up a new role as principal at a London college.
Mr Mallaband spent four terms at the school, having been brought in when it was in special measures and struggling to improve.
But in May, the Sir John Gleed was removed from special measures and last month recorded a massive 20 per cent increase in the number of students gaining C+ grades in English.
And Mr Mallaband said much of the credit for the improvements at the school rested with Mr Scott – who “did the things that had to be done”.
He said: “For me there have been key improvements that have taken the school forward including the leadership of headteacher Will Scott.
“When he was appointed it was an ‘in at the deep end’ moment and he received very little support in the first months.
“However, he did the right things – huge focus on student behaviour and relationships.
“He captured the hearts and minds of students and staff. This then made it easier to shift the focus onto the quality of teaching and raising the achievement of students.”
Mr Mallaband added that techniques used at other schools had also been put in place to focus on individual achievements of students, including close tracking and checking achievements at six points each year.
Help and support has then been put in place for students who were under-achieveing.
Teachers have also been given more support in the classroom to help them teach more effectively.
Mr Mallaband said: “More collaboration between staff has been encouraged and as a result there is an increased understanding of what makes great teaching and how to share the best practice.
“All this has been accompanied by a lot more support from CfBT – the trust that the school belongs to.
“Above all else – there is an improved culture at the school and one that is much more positive.”
But he said that it hasn’t all been plain sailing.
Despite the 20 per cent increase in the number of students gaining C+ grades in English, the school is still struggling in the other key area of maths where there was an “unexpected” drop in results.
This was associated with much higher grade boundaries being used by the exam board and has also affected other schools.
But Mr Mallaband added: “The school now has a core of great staff who go the extra mile for students.
“The school will continue to improve as I think it has got some of its confidence back!”
