A school in Crewe deemed to require improvement is still yet to experience widespread green shoots of recovery, according to an education watchdog.

Sir William Stanier Community School on Coronation Street in the town was inspected by Ofsted at the end of last February.

In the education watchdogs opinion at that time, the school required improvement overall and in the four main areas assessed.

These included outcome for pupils, their personal development, behaviour and welfare, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, as well as the effectiveness of the schools leadership and management.

The school has required improvement since a previous inspection in 2016.

An inspection report of that visit said that 2017 exam results were inadequate and that efforts of school leaders to improve teaching have been impeded by significant turbulence in staffing.

There were also gaps in the learning of pupils in Years 10 and 11 those children preparing for their GCSEs and despite most attending regularly, there was also a persistent high absence among a significant minority of pupils.

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Strengths at Sir William Stanier identified by inspectors last year included the staffing situation being stabilised and firm foundations to secure improvement being established.

Behaviour in lessons was also starting to improve, pupils made good progress in English, maths and science, while school governors were aware of strengths and weaknesses and held leaders to account to ensure improvements to teaching and learning are sustained, the report said.

Ofsted have now undertaken a monitoring inspection visit to the Coronation Drive school to check how actions that have been taken are making an impact.

But the education watchdog reports that senior leaders at Sir William Stanier and the trust responsible for it are not taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement at the last inspection so it can become a good school in Ofsteds view.

More action has been recommended in order for the school to progress.

It includes The Heath Family (NW) Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) board of which the school is part of to provide effective support and to challenge leaders in their work to improve.

Developing the curriculum and learning to help pupils do as well as possible, including in their GCSEs, is also recommended, as is ensuring teachers have the skills they require to build students knowledge and understanding.

Action is also advised to ensure strategies are in place to challenge pupils and families over unjustifiable absence and that good attendance is supported.

The fresh monitoring inspection report said: The trust has not ensured that improvement in the school has been rapid enough.

Until recently, there was too little contact between the trust and the school. Also, the different responsibilities of the trust and the local governing body were not clear enough.

The trust has now increased its support and challenge to leaders. Every fortnight, trust staff are checking that improvement is happening as planned.

Leaders have redeveloped or refined many aspects of the schools work since the previous inspection. Senior and middle leaders have worked hard to improve the school. They know the school well and want to do their best for pupils. Leaders are willing to learn and adapt.

However, the rate of improvement slowed during the middle of the last school year. Senior leaders therefore redesigned their plans. The current school improvement plan provides a clear set of actions intended to lead to long-term improvement.

However, this plan is too recent to see significant impact. The actions taken by leaders in the past have not improved pupils performance in external examinations or attendance. Both of these aspects of the schools work remain significant concerns.

There is now more systematic challenge to parents and carers if pupils are absent.

Leaders are checking pupils who say that they feel ill when at school more carefully before allowing them to go home. The attendance of some pupils has improved and the number of long-term absences has decreased.

However, the overall attendance this school year has not improved significantly compared to the same stage last year. Attendance remains too low.

Leaders judge that one of the reasons for poor attendance is family holidays taken during term time. If pupils are not in school, they cannot benefit from the education provided.

Ofsted also claims that The Heath Family MAT (NW) has not provided the school with sufficient support.

In response to the latest Ofsted update, chief executive of The Heath MAT (NW), David Donnelly, said: While the Ofsted team rightly noted that there is still work to do at Sir William Stanier as we drive forward our improvement plans, we are pleased that they recognised that there are many areas where significant positive progress has been made.

The inspection team, for example, found that Senior and middle leaders have worked hard to improve the school. They know the school well and want to do their best for pupils.

Underpinning that, they have also praised the strengthening leadership, the clear expectations for pupil behaviour and the foundations that are being laid to give students access to a broader curriculum.

Now that the building blocks are in place, it is important that we work collectively and collaboratively to continue on this positive trajectory at pace. We will drive forward the areas Ofsted has praised and focus on the areas which need additional challenge and support.

That is why I believe that we are reaching an exciting point for the school. Our new staff are making an impact.

We have some strong partnerships that we are looking to build on, and there is a real focus on how we can give every student the very best opportunities.

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Crewe school 'not taking effective action to tackle areas requiring improvement', says Ofsted - Cheshire Live