Improvements at School for the Deaf
15 months ago, Ofsted inspectors judged Doncaster School for the Deaf as 'failing' but their latest monitoring visit found improvements, which meant the school is now 'satisfactory' overall and 'good' in some areas.
The report has delighted headteacher David Muir, who took over shortly after the poor inspection and whose strong leadership is credited with helping to transform the school.
He said: "As a school community, we are extremely proud of this achievement. This is only the third visit from HMI and shows that we have made great improvements in turning the school round from one with significant weaknesses to one which is now providing a much higher standard of education for all pupils here, in double quick time."
The report concludes the school in Leger Way now has a "more tailored, coherent and effective methodology for teaching deaf children" significantly improving achievement and closing the gap with the national average.
It says the appointment of experienced, specialist teachers has been a significant change as well as improvements to the curriculum. It highlights the range of work-based learning, academic and vocational opportunities available making the most of good links with Doncaster College for the Deaf. Pupils' behaviour was judged to have improved although it was pointed out that not all staff were "equally skilful" at managing challenging behaviour.
