The only way is up according to Mandeville School head

After a year at the helm Mandeville School headteacher Andria Hanham is confident that the struggling centre is back on the right track.
Andria Hanham - The Mandeville School's new head PNL-150112-123702009Andria Hanham - The Mandeville School's new head PNL-150112-123702009
Andria Hanham - The Mandeville School's new head PNL-150112-123702009

As she approaches her first anniversary as Headmistress, the school is now out of special measures with the last monitoring inspection in May resulting in an excellent review. The school had seen five heads in two years before Andria took over the post last year.

Andria Hanham said: “Ofsted coming in is was stressful. The staff have felt battered.

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“It’s been difficult having that label, but they have stuck with the school. That loyalty and dedication has got us where we are now. The first step was to create stability for the pupils, to settle the ship. We have a great staff now, we’re not using any supply or agency teachers. By improving the reputation of the school, people now want to come here to work at Mandeville. We’ve now got six newly qualified teachers on the staff – subject leaders in History, PE and maths. We’ve made some incredible appointments.There is something about Mandeville that gets into your heart, something really special about the place.

It’s a very unique place to work and despite the challenges we’ve faced it’s been incredibly rewarding.I am here to stay, Im here for the journey with the school to make it the best it can be. We want to make the difference in peoples lives, to ultimately make it an excellent school – and all the ingredients are finally coming together to make that happen. We have created Team Mandeville, and the kids and staff are buying into it. I enjoy coming to work, it’s extremely rewarding. The headship can be quite a lonely place sometimes but generally speaking I feel supported by my staff, by my senior team. There’s more to be done but the climate of the school had changed. We’re in a good place.”

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