Bulwell Academy bursts out of ‘special measures’

When six of Nottingham’s schools were placed in the special measures category within weeks of each other, the news made national headlines.

The Bulwell Academy is the first school that was in special measures to move out of this category, a spokesman said.

Academy Principal Paul Halcro has been quick to praise the hard work and determination of his staff to deliver fundamental changes within the school and said:

“I believe that there has been a deep commitment and drive to ensure that we focus on what is right for our children and to work to our vision where Everyone Achieves.”

Paul Halcro joined the Academy three years ago and Ofsted arrived shortly afterwards placing the school in special measures in November 2013, from the top performing Thomas Telford school.

He added: “I was determined to ensure that I had the right people in place who could help me create the right learning environment for our students.

“I demand high standards of all those in the team and I will be the first to acknowledge that these standards have been exceeded. Moving a school out of special measures and proving that it is operating as a Good school within 18 months is the outcome of having a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve and an enthusiastic and talented staff prepared to work for it. I was very pleased when Ofsted recognised this in their report by commenting that “…. a strong culture of learning and high aspirations pervades the academy.”

The Bulwell Academy is situated within one of the most economically deprived electoral wards of the country. Paul continues by saying:

“Every indicator of the context of this school puts us at a disadvantage but we have not accepted this as a reason for failure. We are proud of our ambitions for excellence.”

“I am delighted that this has validated my ongoing belief in this academy and it’s great to see that Ofsted have recognised such rapid improvements across all areas.”