At the beginning of this term, White House Academy was inspected by Ofsted, the school’s first inspection since joining STEP in January 2017.
We are pleased to confirm that, following the rigorous two-day inspection, Ofsted judged White House Academy to be Good with Outstanding for leadership and management. For a school that was judged Inadequate twice before joining Lilac Sky Schools Academy Trust, this is an astonishing achievement.
Inspectors recognised that White House has undergone significant changes since joining STEP: “The headteacher, senior leaders and STEP Academy Trust have transformed this school in the last two years.” Of course, particular praise should be reserved for the outstanding leadership of Alun Evans and his senior team, brilliantly supported by Tim Mills.
The behaviour of the children was also recognised, something staff have been working on since 2017: “The school is now a calm place where pupils come to learn. One pupil explained that teachers have, ‘introduced discipline back into our school’.”
Although a very positive Ofsted, we recognise that there is still much to be achieved. The STEP Team at White House Academy will continue working with passion and urgency to build on this tremendous achievement and continue the trajectory of improvement.