Head teacher not surprised by 'good' Ofsted result

The head teacher of a school previously rated as inadequate, said he was not surprised by his team's improved Ofsted rating.

Northampton International Academy (NIA), which has 2,000 pupils aged four to 18, achieved a "good" rating in five out of six categories after the inspection in October.

In its report, Ofsted said the school had "improved rapidly under strong and determined leadership", but "pupils do not all achieve as well as they should".

Martin Serrão, NIA's executive head teacher, said: "We weren’t surprised and were ready for [the inspection]."

Ofsted rated NIA "inadequate" overall.

Inspectors said safeguarding was not effective and that student registers were not always accurate.

Some of the secondary pupils told Ofsted there were "regular racist and homophobic remarks" from fellow students, making it "hard to be different in the school".

But in its latest inspection, the education watchdog praised the school's sense of community, improved behaviour, calm classrooms and strong pastoral care, noting pupils met "very high expectations".

Staff were also commended for their enthusiasm and the opportunities for professional development.

However, the report said there was still inconsistent delivery of the curriculum across the school.

Some staff did not adapt their teaching to meet the needs of all pupils, it said, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and those with English as an additional language.

Mr Serrão has been in charge of NIA for 18 months after heading up a school in Barnet, north London.

He added: "The potential [at NIA] is huge. The ambition to move the school forward clearly exists.

"[The job] is extremely rewarding. It is hard work, but it is very rewarding."

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