Headteacher Neil Coe’s mantra is to do things that make sense. He writes here about his key school improvement priorities during a challenging first year of secondary headship


When I started looking for my first headship, I wanted a school where I was able to really apply my leadership learning and my 25 years of teaching experience.

I found Westhoughton High School, which is a school with a personality that really fits me, and I started in the role just over a year ago.

We have 1,306 pupils on roll at the moment. Just over 29% of our pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium. It serves a largely white, post-industrial area on the outskirts of Bolton.

The school had been going through quite a time as I joined, with a rapid turnover of leaders. At the time it was expected that the school might lose its good rating and hit requires improvement.

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