Best Practice

Turning around an underperforming school

The challenge of turning an underperforming school around can be a daunting one. Principal Dara Carroll discusses some key areas which his school – Milton Keynes Academy – focused on to help turn things around.

I know from experience that the road to school improvement is not an easy one. Back in 2011, just 20 per cent of students at Milton Keynes Academy gained five or more GCSEs graded A* to C including English and maths. By 2012, the figure had risen to 38 per cent and in 2013 we saw 53 per cent of our students achieving this. Although our work is ongoing, we are now the fastest improving school in Milton Keynes.

Ours is a story about a school community pulling together to make things better and I would like to share some of the highlights of our journey so far.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here