HEADTEACHER Simon Cotterill has been praised for the improvements he has introduced since taking over at Manor Park Primary School and Nursery.

Mr Cotterill took the reins at the Knutsford school in September 2016, and was praised by the education watchdog following an Ofsted inspection at the school in June.

“The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection,” said Inspector Gill Pritchard in her letter to Mr Cotterill.

“You have worked effectively with other leaders to guide your school through a period of great change in terms of leadership and staffing.

“In the school’s previous inspection the inspectors highlighted areas for improvement.

“Since your appointment you have worked systematically to deal with these aspects of school improvement.”

The inspector said Mr Cotterill ensured focused support was provided within school and from external sources so that pupils’ language skills were developed, and pupils were given many opportunities in lessons, assemblies as part of school and peer councillor roles to develop their speaking and listening skills.

Mr Cotterill had provided training to ensure teachers checked learning effectively throughout the day, said the report.

“This was evident during the inspection, where teachers monitored closely the progress of pupils and offered focused guidance and support to move their learning forward,” it said.

“During the inspection we considered areas where further work is required to support your school’s improvement.

“Although much work has been done to increase pupils’ attendance in school, rates of persistent absence still remain high.”

The report added that pupils’ phonic skills required further development, and the inspectors discussed the need for subject leaders to further develop their roles to ensure they had a clear overview of pupils’ progress in their areas of responsibility.

Mr Cotterill said: “We are delighted that all of the hard work and commitment from our children, families and staff have been recognised by Ofsted.

“During our inspection the Inspector agreed that the learning and teaching in school is strong with staff supported by a strong leadership team.

“We are all very proud of the progress that the school has made, and see this report as a stepping stone to further success.”