The head of a school, which children 'enjoy going to' has spoken of the improvements being made to ensure every child achieves their 'potential'.

Westhoughton High School has been put into the 'requires improvement' category after a recent Ofsted inspection.

Headteacher Neil Coe said the Ofsted inspection marked the start of the school's improvement journey ­— adding the foundations had already been laid, with the report highlighting many strengths of the school.

And he called on parents to work with the school as it raised standards.

Ofsted marked all areas of the school as in need of improvement.

Mr Coe explained: "This was a full section 5 inspection and follows a section 8 Ofsted visit in the autumn of 2021.

"Whilst the “good” grade was not changed following the 2021 inspection, inspectors felt the school was likely to attain a lower grade during a full inspection. The school has now been graded as requires improvement.

"Whilst there has been much debate in the media about the use of Ofsted inspections, our experience - whilst challenging - was respectful, insightful and accurate; inspectors worked alongside our staff team to evaluate the school and identify strengths and areas for improvement. The outcomes for each category of the inspection matched with our self-evaluation.

"I took over the school as headteacher in September 2021 and have been warmly welcomed by the staff, students and wider community who have placed great faith in me to improve our school. This inspection marks a significant milestone in our improvement journey, there is lots to celebrate and lots still to do."

Ofsted inspectors found that most pupils enjoy coming to school and felt safe and leaders "have high expectations for pupils' achievement".

Inspectors reported: "Pupils work hard to support their local community. They have opportunities to raise funds and support local charities. This helps them to empathise with others who are less fortunate than themselves.

Some pupils involve themselves with extra-curricular clubs and enjoy the range of activities on offer. This includes the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, many sports clubs, world cinema club and the Friday swimming club, which is open for all year groups."

Children were said to "respectful of each other" but " some pupils exhibit poor behaviour around the school site, particularly at social times and between lessons. This upsets other pupils. Pupils said that unkind remarks and bullying do sometimes happen".

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But inspectors noted that staff act quickly when such issues are reported.

Pupils have a broad choice of subject to study, said inspectors.

Ofsted reported: "Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because the curriculum is not well organised in some subjects.

"Teachers have good subject knowledge. However, leaders have not ensured that teachers use this subject knowledge well enough to help pupils to learn."

Ofsted noted that measures had been introduced to improve attendance among some pupils.

Mr Coe said: "“This is a school with an exceptional community spirit – learners, staff and parents. This report recognises this, and also gives a clear direction for our next steps on our improvement journey. After 18 months leading the school out of the pandemic and establishing a clear direction this report marks the start of the next phase in the school’s history. An exciting time to be the headteacher at this wonderful school”

He said: "I was pleased to see that the report included recognition that most of our pupils enjoy coming to school, feel safe and engage well with the curriculum. Inspectors were impressed by the personal development of our young people and their contribution to the wider community. The expertise of the staff body, and their subject knowledge has also stood out.

"There is much still to do before the school is as good as we know it can be. Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to work diligently to reduce the variation in the school experiences of our children. I am committed to ensuring that every child enjoys our school, feels safe and achieves their personal best here. We will continue to work with families and the community to achieve our goals.

The Bolton News:

"Whilst our current attendance sits only a fraction below the national average, inspectors are keen to push schools to return to the levels of attendance seen before the pandemic. It has become increasingly clear this year that when our learners miss lessons, it is harder for them to make progress within the curriculum. Thus, I look to parents to support our drive with attendance and to show commitment to ensuring that your children arrive in school, on time and ready to learn each day.

Inspectors acknowledged that most of our learners behave as leaders expect, but share my concerns that a small number of pupils still exhibit poor behaviour at social times. During the academic year we have worked hard to improve the systems around behaviour and again, look to parents to support us when consequences are put in place for behaviours that fall short of our high expectations.

"I am grateful to our parents, students and staff for their support as we work to improve, and look forward to the future of our community school."