A HIGH school in Bolton has been placed into special measures after Ofsted inspectors ruled it is failing to give pupils an acceptable standard of education.

They found that Smithills School was “inadequate” following a recent inspection.

Headteacher Alec Cottrill stressed that areas identified were being addressed and an action plan included enlisting support from teachers at good and outstanding schools in Bolton and further afield.

He said: “The recent report was a disappointment to us all, but has given a clear direction. We have faced a number of challenges over recent years; fortunately, these are behind us and we expect to make extraordinary progress from now on.”

Effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils were graded inadequate.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils required improvement. Inspectors stated: “The quality of teaching over time has not been strong enough to raise achievement to acceptable levels.

“Evidence gathered showed that teaching is still not strong enough overall to bring pupils’ achievement up to expected standards.

“There is insufficient teaching that has a good or outstanding impact on pupils’ outcomes.”

They found that in 2015, pupils’ attainment and progress were “significantly lower” than national averages.

Ofsted accepted that the school faced challenges including budgetary pressures and a large number of children from overseas, but added “by the end of 2015/16 academic year, outcomes for pupils had been low for three years. Leaders have not done enough to improve achievement”.

Ofsted praised pastoral care and positive relationships between pupils from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Children were willing and ready to learn and attendance had improved.

Mr Cottrill said leading teachers in Bolton and further afield would be reviewing English and maths lessons, while the Bolton Governance Support Service would carry out an independent review of the governing body.

The school has had to make £3 million of savings because of a fall in pupil numbers.

Mr Cottrill said: “This school is my life, I moved to Bolton from Buxton. I am completely passionate about this school.

“Our data shows that there will be a significant rise in the school’s GCSE results, when the Ofsted inspection took place we had not held our mocks and inspections are now very data driven. The school’s progress eight measure, which is the Government’s new measure for school, is better than some other schools in Bolton.

“We have a stable teaching staff following financial challenges over the years. The school has a bright future.”He added: “It’s important that we make very sure that every pupil in every year group makes the progress they should and we expect significantly improved GCSE results this summer and beyond.“As a school, we’ll be looking at every aspect of school life to make sure we’re giving the very best education to Smithills’ pupils.“We’ll be updating our stakeholders with news of our progress and the changes we are making very regularly. The main force for change will be a Joint Executive Board whose members include the principal together with a head teacher of an outstanding school; a National Leader of Education; an Ofsted inspector; an external advisor and an independent chair.“This group will meet regularly to monitor progress and ensure that the new Action Plan is delivered.”