THE headteacher at Rhyl High School is providing assistance to a school in special measures which has lost its leader.

Claire Armitstead has been offering “secondary expertise” to Christ the Word Catholic School, an inspection report from Denbighshire County Council (DCC)’s education department has said.

DCC’s Performance Scrutiny Committee will consider and discuss the report at its next meeting on September 28.

Christ the Word was placed in special measures following an Estyn report published in July 2022; a core inspection had taken place two months earlier.

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Amanda Preston, who has been absent from the school since last November, has now stood down as headteacher.

Bernadette Thomas has been appointed interim head at the school while, according to the report, Mrs Armitstead is acting as associate headteacher.

The inspection report shares that Estyn has visited the school twice since its May 2022 core inspection: during the last week of the Easter term and in the penultimate week of the summer term.

Extracts from the report stated “real progress has been made” in strengthening the school’s safeguarding arrangements, and that “considerable work” has been undertaken in improving leadership.

It added that “a working party of staff at the school has developed a clear set of expectations for teachers and pupils”, and that efforts are being made to improve its curriculum.

The school has also appointed staff to lead specifically on numeracy and literary skills, meanwhile.

Mrs Armitstead is said to have “supported some senior and middle leaders in developing aspects of their roles”.

Estyn’s five recommendations for the school are as follows:

  • Strengthen safeguarding arrangements and address the concerns identified during the core inspection.
  • Improve leadership at all levels, including leaders’ ability to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.
  • Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils of all ages and abilities make strong progress.
  • Ensure that the curriculum provides pupils of all ages with broad, balanced and relevant learning experiences.
  • Strengthen the provision for the progressive development of pupils’ skills.

Numerous parents of pupils at the school have previously told the Journal that safeguarding is among its most pressing concerns.

The £23million school opened in September 2019 and caters for children between three and 16 years old.

It replaced secondary school, Blessed Edward Jones Catholic School, and primary school, Ysgol Mair.