Ashfield MP Celebrates Outwood Academy Kirkby Ofsted Success as Rebuild Works Near

Outwood Academy Kirkby has reached a monumental milestone, receiving an Ofsted report that declares the school as "Good" in three out of four assessment criteria, including in ‘quality of education’, ‘personal development’, and ‘leadership and management’.

Lee Anderson MP at Outwood Academy Kirkby

The turnaround began when Ashfield MP Lee Anderson took office in 2019. At that time, the school, then called Kirkby College, had been struggling for over a decade, having been placed in double special measures due to severely inadequate educational standards. The MP made it a priority to advocate for improvements in both standards and resources to elevate the school.

In 2021, The MP secured the funding from Government to completely rebuild the school, the work for which is due to begin this summer.

In 2022, Kirkby College was fortunate enough to be taken over by the Outwood Grange Academies Trust and rebranded to Outwood Academy Kirkby. Since then, transforming the quality of education and student experiences at the school became a top priority for the Academy. The school has been recognised as being in the top 1% of improved schools in the country.

Lee Anderson MP said:

“When I became an MP in 2019 this school was, quite frankly, the worst school in the country. I made it a mission to do what I can to help raise standards there. I fought tooth and nail to secure the funding for a total rebuild of the school, the works for which are now due to start this summer.”

“The Outwood Grange Academies Trust has made fantastic progress turning this school around, and I can now say that I am proud to have this school in Ashfield, and I am extremely proud of everyone who has been involved in turning this school into a good one.

“Thank you to all the staff, the students, the parents, the governors, and the academy trust.”

The school has recognised areas that require improvement, notably in the category of behaviour and attitudes. They say that this encompasses students' attendance to school and has identified the minority of students who do not always meet the high expectations that are required to take the full benefit of the quality of education across the academy.