Newly appointed principal calls upon school community to help drive improvements at Doncaster school

David Scales, the newly appointed principal, has also called upon the school community to work together to drive the improvements Ofsted identified as needed.Formerly known as Balby Carr, which had been graded as “inadequate” in every category, the report marks an important step forward in the academy’s school improvement journey. In particular, Ofsted noted that the leadership team hold high expectations for pupils and their work keeps pupils safe.

The inspectors praised the quality of the school’s sixth form provision, rating this as ‘Good’ and noting that sixth form students “benefit from attending the provision”.

The report also recognised the support of the Astrea Academy Trust and how this has helped identify areas for improvement across the school. Ofsted also noted that school and trust leaders have already taken “significant steps” to tackle these areas, and this can be seen in the school’s overall quality of education.

The new principal of Astrea Academy Woodfields, David Scales, is very clear about the improvements needed to continue the school on the path to excellence.

These include:

Supporting pupils with any challenges leading to poor behaviour and put in place steps to prevent reoccurrence

Continuing to build upon the new approach to attendance to maximise the time that pupils are in school

Building upon successful assessment strategies to accurately identify any gaps in pupils’ learning

Expand the successful PSHE programme to further develop a culture of respect across the school

Develop even stronger links with pupils’ families and the wider school community

David Scales, the Principal at Astrea Academy Woodfields, said: “I'm delighted to be leading Astrea Academy Woodfields and I strongly believe we can turn this school into the best in Doncaster. I have a strong and supportive team here who will continue to work with me to develop a strong culture of success and ensure every student at Woodfields goes on to thrive.

“With the support of our school community we can continue to build on the improvements recognised in this Ofsted report. I am looking forward to working with the parents, carers, and families of our pupils to push the school to new heights. Our young people deserve nothing less.”

Rowena Hackwood, who is the CEO of Astrea Academy Trust, said: “We are pleased that Ofsted identified the areas of improvement which we have already seen at Astrea Academy Woodfields, but we know that there is much further still to go to fulfil students’ right to a brilliant education.

"There is some excellent work happening at this school and I have every confidence that under the leadership of David and his fantastic team, we will see Astrea Academy Woodfields progress from strength to strength. We will of course give them all possible support during this process.”