AN interim head has been appointed to lead a school classed as ‘failing’ until a permanent principal can be appointed

Alec Cottrill has left Smithills School to take early retirement after an Ofsted inspection placed the school in special measures.

He has been replaced internally by Mike Sidebottom, until a replacement can be found for the school.

In December the school was graded inadequate by Ofsted, leading to it being classed as failing.

Smithills School broke away from local authority control in 2014 to transform into state-funded independent school, sponsored by ConcertEd.

Ofsted found that outcomes were low in 2016, and the progress of the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, is low, with the school not having done enough to improve outcomes for these pupils. Inspectors said that they quality of teaching was not good enough to enable pupils to make the faster progress necessary — and some teachers had low expectations of what pupils should achieve.

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

Following Mr Cottrill’s retirement from the school, Mr Sidebottom was appointed as interim headteacher.

In a letter sent to parents, he said: “The staff, governors and trust are deeply grateful for Alec’s commitment and service and for the many achievements Smithills has secured under his guidance.

“As a result of Alec’s retirement, the trust has asked me to become the interim principal and to concentrate my efforts to secure education improvement for the benefit of the students.

“Clearly, Smithills is going through a period of change and this provides us with an opportunity to consider which positive developments may be necessary to make Smithills an even better place to work, live and study.”

Cllr John Walsh, school governor, said: “Alec has done a enormous amount for the school, the refurbishment of the pool.

“He offered his retirement.”

Cllr Walsh said that following the Ofsted report, issues were being addressed.

He said: “The school is moving forward with a new strategic leadership body for the school.

“We are hopeful for a good set of results this summer.

“The school is continuing to make real progress.”