Major turnaround as Salisbury school now rated good by Ofsted
Pembroke Park Primary was graded as needing special measures just 16 months ago
Last updated 22nd Jan 2024
A South Wiltshire school has been celebrating a major turnaround in its fortunes after a recent visit from Ofsted.
In 2022, Pembroke Park Primary school in Salisbury was rated as 'inadequate' by the education watchdog and put into special measures.
But under the stewardship of headteacher Toni Hayzen, the school is now rated as 'good'.
It marks an unprecedented transformation, as the new rating comes just 16 months after the initial review, making it the fastest leap from inadequate to good on national record.
Greatest Hits Radio spoke to Mrs Hayzen, who said she and her staff 'burst into tears' when their new rating was revealed.
"You can imagine the hard work that's gone in, behind the scenes, to get this school where it needs to be," she said, "To hear those words 'you're good in all areas' was such a moment."
The Ofsted inspection came just before Christmas and the school had the option to defer the visit, but Mrs Hayzen said her school was ready - and had been for a long time.
"We were confident that the things we put in place had rapidly turned (the school) around," she said, adding: "It's been noted by our community for a lot longer than when Ofsted came in."
The head heaped praise on her teachers, saying they'd been through a 'tough journey' and that the end result is all down to the teachers.
"They've stuck by the school and one of the things that Ofsted are really hot on at the moment is workload and wellbeing.
"What delighted me was how supported they feel as a team, despite this incredibly hard journey. They've stuck with the job, with the school, they believe in the community.
"I can't thank them enough."
Mrs Hayzen says the school, which is part of the Magna Learning Partnership, are 'proud' of the 'remarkable' turnaround.
The special measures grading was described as a "blow to the community" and led to a period of regrouping and a full review of every aspect.
"We pulled everything apart, from curriculum, teaching and learning to behaviour," she said.
"We re-wrote the whole curriculum from scratch, making it what our children deserve to have," she explained, with high-calibre staff recruited to aid the rapid turnaround, including a behaviour lead and a new deputy-headteacher who has been mentoring the teaching staff.
She also thanked the support of parents, who kept their children in the school despite the disappointing rating by Ofsted.
"They've really believed in the school, our numbers have stayed as they were," Mrs Hayzen said.
Chair of Governors at the school, Vanessa Shield echoed Mrs Hayzen's sentiments, saying the parents belief in the school has been 'fantastic', adding that the governors are "delighted" at the schools progress.
Mrs Shield told us that children have been bringing their schools books to her so show the work they've been doing.
"They want to show us what they're doing, they want to talk about it," she said, adding that it was very emotional that the children were now confident enough to show off their work.
"We want to give these children a love for learning, for life," she said, saying that the governors see this being developed in the school by Mrs Hayzen and her leadership team.
She added that in the ever-changing world we find ourselves in, giving children that resilience and the desire to keep learning, is vital to their futures.