Wigan school hailed in government education review

Golborne High School has made history by being one of just 10 establishments chosen to feature in a Parliamentary Review sharing the secrets of its rapid improvement.

Head teacher Alison Gormally described in the article, which will be read by many of the country’s most important education policy makers, described the planning, strategies and quality assurance systems for Golborne High’s leadership team that has enabled it to rocket up the league tables.

The Lowton Road school was in the top 15 per cent nationally last year and data shows already that it will be even more highly priced this time round.

Mrs Gormally said getting in the Parliamentary Review was an honour both for the school and the borough.

She said: “The Parliamentary Review is a platform to share best practice across both private and public sectors and influence future Government policy and strategy.

“It identifies schools that are high-performing nationally and have been on a rapid improvement journey.

“It is a real coup for us and for the borough, because no other school from Wigan has ever been in it. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate what we have done at Golborne High School.

“We work with a lot of organisations and it identifies us as being at the forefront of educational initiatives.

“Being nationally recognised as successful is great for the borough.

“It also allows us to speak to people who make the important decisions about the direction of travel in education.”

In the article Mrs Gormally described how Golborne High has become “a beacon of excellence at the heart of the local community” and bluntly talked about the alterations needed to bring in high aspirations, improve Progress 8 scores and boost attendance.

She said: “We looked to deliver a large cultural shift among our students, parents and community. Too many stakeholders were prepared to settle for mediocrity, however, we refuse to give our students anything but an exceptional education.”

Golborne High, along with the other schools featured, was invited to a glamorous dinner at the Banking Hall in London last night to celebrate the Parliamentary Review’s publication and hear key speeches from education and political figures.