Council bosses are confident that much-needed improvements are being made at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland, which was heavily criticised by Ofsted inspectors. The education watchdog placed the school into special measures after an inspection in January.
The inspection came amid strike action by staff concerned about poor pupil behaviour and a lack of a proper behaviour management plan from senior leadership. Headteacher David Nisbet subsequently resigned, and the school is currently being led by an interim executive board with support from the Cumbria Education Trust.
Support and funding for improvement
The school has also been supported with Government funding for improvement through the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme, which looks to turn around struggling schools. The council's school improvement team is also working alongside the academy trust to support improvement.
At Thursday's meeting of Northumberland County Council's family and children's services scrutiny committee, Coun Suzanne Fairless Aitken raised concern for the future of the school. She said: "Haydon Bridge requires attention. It is the one that sticks out. I notice it has been given a RISE funding package. Will that work alongside the school improvement team? I'm delighted both are there but will they work together?"
Positive impact reported
Dave Cookson, the council's head of commissioning for secondary education, replied: "The RISE programme is in place for two years and this is the second year. I can tell you GCSE results have seen an improvement this year. The academy chain that the DFE have brokered to provide that support through RISE have had a positive impact in my opinion. We will continue to work with the school but we will let the academy trust do the improvements as they see fit as they're on the ground. If they want support from the School Improvement Team, then we will absolutely provide that if that is what they wish to do. So far, the academy chain has done a really good job and is making a positive difference."
Coun Rachel Mathieson represents the Haltwhistle ward, where most children attend Haydon Bridge. She said pupils and parents had a different view to the one that was often portrayed and questioned when inspectors would return. Coun Mathieson said: "I have had a lot of contact with parents and pupils over the summer. What concerns me is the picture that is given in the press is not one that most of them recognise. I'm concerned that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They're very positive about what is going on and it is disappointing for them to hear how their school is being portrayed. It does concern me that there was such a difference between the inspections in 2025 and 2026, which were only about six months apart. That difference feels marked. Is 2027 not quite a long time to wait? I feel we could do with an in-between report on the school."
Monitoring visits planned
Mr Cookson replied: "Industrial relations at the school are far better, so there will be less in the press about Haydon Bridge. What is in the press and what is said by parents are two very different things. Ofsted will probably be there every term - they were there in July and we're awaiting the outcome of that monitoring visit. We will be able to see what progress has been made in the short term."
