Benhurst Primary School

Benhurst Primary School was graded by Ofsted as Requiring Improvement in October 2012. This judgement was accurate and justified; the school was not providing a high enough quality of education. Upon my appointment as Headteacher in September 2013, Benhurst was ready for a change. It required the direction of a bold leadership team, brave enough to make changes to raise standards and aspirations whilst keeping the children’s best interests at heart. Above all else, the school was missing a sense of fun! We developed a clear vision to provide an outstanding educational experience for the children and their families in the heart of the community.

Fundamental aspects of school improvement were lacking; the autumn term was dedicated to increasing the consistency and rigour of policies and procedures. Accountability of staff underpinned this through tight Performance Management and rigorous monitoring. Difficult conversations were not shied away from, nor were the bold decisions that followed. In some instances, opinion was divided but it was always transparent that everything was centred around the children.