New headteacher at Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College (BBEC), located on Reevy Road West, says he is committed to driving forward improvements and providing high quality education for pupils.
Andrew Taylor was appointed as Headteacher at BBEC in September 2022, coming from an Outstanding school in Threshfield. He says his mission, alongside staff at the academy and leaders at Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, is to support the school as it emerges from the pandemic and secure long-term improvements to ensure its young people are offered the best possible education.
This was acknowledged in BBEC’s latest Ofsted report, which was just published following their inspection back in February. While the academy received an overall judgement of Inadequate, inspectors stated that “staff and pupils have confidence in the new headteacher” and the actions being taken “are starting to have an impact.”
The academy said it was pleased to see aspects of its provision praised. This includes effective safeguarding, teachers’ subject knowledge, teacher training and development and the curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education which was said to prepare students well for their next steps. Progress was also recognised in reading.
However, inspectors were concerned with the behaviour of a significant minority of pupils during the inspection and felt it could impact learning and the quality of teaching. In response, the academy said, “While we recognise and were disappointed to see a small number of pupils not live up to our high standards of behaviour during the inspection, we feel this was not representative of everyday life at the academy. Many of our pupils behaved exceptionally throughout the inspection and do so on a daily basis.
“We, like many schools, are working closely with our families to improve attendance and behaviour, both of which were significantly impacted by the pandemic. Following the introduction of our new behaviour policy in November, we have already seen substantial improvements, with increased attendance and lateness to lessons reduced by more than 50%.”
The academy said its new policy encourages and celebrates positive choices, giving students accountability and responsibility for their behaviour and is aimed at fostering a culture that reflects the school’s vision and values. This was recognised by inspectors who stated, “Pupils’ attendance has improved recently as a result of leaders’ actions.”
The academy said embedding this new policy and supporting good behaviour across the school is the bedrock of its improvement plan and will drive advancements in other areas raised in the report. This includes concerns regarding disruption to learning and teaching in lessons.
The other aspect raised by inspectors was the standard of provision for SEND pupils, its alternative provision and claims of narrowed timetables. Leaders say they are disappointed to see this judgement and have gone above and beyond, not only supporting the increasing number of students with additional needs in the community but also working closely with the local authority and even setting up their own provision to support as many pupils as possible. Nearly all BBEC’s young people progress successfully on to further education or work and its NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) figure is well below the national average.
Andrew Taylor, Headteacher at BBEC, said:
“In my new role as Headteacher, I am absolutely dedicated to securing long-term improvements for our community. While we are of course disappointed with our overall rating, I am pleased to see that the improvement strategies we have implemented were recognised as starting to have an impact.
“The quality of education is at the heart of all we do, and we will continue to advance the positive changes we are making. Working with experts across the Trust and the dedicated teachers, associate staff and leaders within the Academy, we strive to be the best possible school and know that by us all working together, amidst many national challenges, we can realise this.”
Carol Dewhurst, CEO of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, added:
“It is disappointing to receive this OFSTED rating as the school has worked so hard to drive forward improvements and deliver quality education day in and day out during and since the pandemic.
However, it is positive that the measures introduced by Andrew and his team are already taking seed and beginning to create positive change for our whole school community.
“I have every confidence in Andrew and his team, and we will continue to work closely with BBEC to ensure rapid improvements are secured and the school is providing high standards of teaching, learning and pastoral care within a happy and respectful environment that allows every child to reach their potential.”
To read the full report click here.