Parents of children at Kingsfield Primary School say the “amazing” headteacher is not to blame for the school receiving an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report.
Alison Young, Jo Townshend, Caroline Davis, Nicola Graves and Roama Wood are among the parents who are supporting Sian Pritchard, who became headteacher in September 2017 when the school was removed from special measures.
The parents say that - although an Ofsted report that stated "poor leadership and an inadequate quality of education" - nobody wants Mrs Pritchard to leave.
They say that rather than the negative picture that the Ofsted report suggests, she has helped make huge improvements.
"If Ofsted were to speak to parents they'd get a totally different picture, because they're just basing it off being at the school for two days," said Miss Townshend.
"She's being made accountable for past mistakes. She's being hung, drawn and quartered.
"We do not want her to feel she has been blamed or feel responsible for the outcome of the Ofsted report. Staff and The Active Learning Trust, which runs the school, don't want her to leave either.
"From reading the report, you would think she's being pushed out but that's not the case. She has everyone's full backing."
The report states a number of strengths, including that the headteacher "has made the personal development of pupils one of her main aims.
"She is adamant that pupils should be given every opportunity to understand life in the wider world, diversity, faith and culture.
"There has been a drive to ensure that pupils have opportunities to develop skills which interest them some pupils are now having individual music tuition."
One of her biggest achievements, according to the parents, is that Mrs Pritchard has maintained all her staff since taking on the role.
"The main thing, for us as parents, is that the school's gone through a lot of turmoil. Nobody has left, there's such a positive vibe and the children all love her.
"She's got a great relationship with the children and works from dusk until dawn. She lives and breathes that school.
The parents also say that because the targets have changed, that is one of the reason why the school received such a harsh report.
"She really makes the children feel proud of themselves and she has helped with their self esteem.
"We didn't have anything before that. The staff are very upset by it, they don't want her to leave.
"We categorically do not want Sian to leave - but when you read an Ofsted report like that it's difficult. She has took it to heart.
"It's not her doing - the school is still recovering from a turbulent few years prior to Sian being appointed as headteacher."
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