Headteacher at special measures school annouces his resignation

Trevor Smith, who took over at Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School seven years ago, said his decision was mostly influenced by an Ofsted inspection at the school last October, when the school was rated as inadequate. He will leave at the end of the school year in July.

Explaining his decision, he said: “I started to think about it the minute the Ofsted inspectors left school back in October because I was so upset by their judgement of our school. There was a temptation to just say ‘forget it, I’m off’ but I thought I’m not going to do that, let’s see what happens over the next few months.

“Since then things are going well, we’re progressing well and meeting all the requirements expected of us as far as Ofsted are concerned but there is just that sense of injustice that they are judging this school to be inadequate when everyone who knows this school knows it to be a successful school.

“There are also a lot of changes that have been brought about in the last two or three years, particularly changes in the way we’re expected to teach children which I don’t think are very well thought through or are in the best interests of children.

“I’m spending more and more time sat in my office writing reports and less and less time working with children and supporting teachers.

“I’ve got to a stage in my career where I’ve been in education nearly 30 years but I’m still young enough to learn a new trade so I’ve decided to hang up the mortar board.”

And Mr Smith, who said the possibility of the school being forced to become an academy also added to his decision to leave, added: “I’ll be very sad to leave this school and to leave under these circumstances. “I know that the vast majority of parents are very supportive of me and very supportive of the school.

“The school is in much better shape than it was when I started here seven years ago.”