Best Practice

Case study: A focus on the early years

When Byron Primary School faced being placed in special measures, a partnership was formed with a nearby school to help jump-start the turnaround. Focusing on the early years, where much progress has already been made, headteacher Jon Carthy explains some of their improvement strategies

Byron is a large primary school in the heart of Gillingham. A Victorian building, surrounded by terraced housing. The school has a high percentage of children who have free school meals and SEND. The percentage of pupils who do not speak English as their first language is very high and the stability of the school is very low. The reception classes are fed by 19 feeder nurseries.

In January 2014, a Local Leader of Education and head of Brompton-Westbrook Primary School, a high-performing local school, began working with Byron at the request of the local authority. She worked alongside the then head as executive head of both schools.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here