'I intend to make our academy the heart of this community'

BULWELL HEAD'S PRIDE IN STEADY IMPROVEMENTS

- BY RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

THE head teacher of a Nottingham school, which was previously put in special measures by Ofsted, has spoken of his pride after a string of improvements took place.

It has now been a year since Bulwell Academy was taken out of special measures by Ofsted, progressing from "inadequate" to "requires improvement"

Things started improving when Matt Irons took the reins at the school in January 2024. This came after the school's previous head left "to pursue other opportunities" following a string of issues, which resulted in staff members striking over working conditions and bad management.

The school is now on a continuous journey towards the other end of the spectrum, says Mr Irons. "The school has been on a real positive journey ever since I took over," he said. "We worked for 21 days until our Ofsted inspection in March [2024] to move the school forward and so we progressed from 'category of concern' to 'requires improvement.

"I took over this school because I'm a product of this area. I grew up in Top Valley. I am a person who understands the challenges and vulnerabilities that many of the pupils from this area can experience. I am absolutely passionate about helping children to achieve.

"I want to make sure that this school doesn’t apply a deficit thinking model which is 'you grow up in Bulwell which is the most deprived area in Nottingham and because of that you can’t achieve anything.

"I want to be a role model and show that if I can do it with teachers that are inspirational and give them courage and enthusiasm, they can do it too," he told the Post.