SPECIAL measures school St Joseph’s Catholic College has appointed an Ofsted inspector as deputy headteacher as part of their efforts to improve their grade.

The secondary school was put into special measures after being found inadequate by Ofsted inspectors in September last year.

Since then an interim executive board has been set up to help the school make crucial improvements, and in subsequent inspections Osfted have praised the reponse made by the school.

Jerry Giles, an Ofsted inspector himself, will join the senior leadership team at St Joseph’s this September as deputy principal.

He will lend assistance to current principal Paul Hughes, appointed in 2013, in bringing about changes and improving the leadership structure.

Mr Giles has worked in schools in the West Midlands, Botswana, Hertfordshire and Wiltshire, before taking up his current post as deputy headteacher at Thomas Kemble School in Stroud.

He has also worked for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, and will continue his role as inspector after he makes the move to St Joseph’s.

“Jerry has been appointed as a substantive deputy when there wasn’t one in St Joseph’s before,” said Mr Hughes. “It is a new post we have created to increase the leadership capacity in the school.

“He is coming in with a lot of experience, and in addition to that he is an Ofsted inspector. He is very up to date with the Ofsted framework, and that will be of huge benefit to St Joseph’s. It is hugely beneficial to have someone who really knows the framework and has so much experience.

“We have had two monitoring visits so far, both of which were really positive, particularly that the quality of teaching and learning and leadership had shown significant improvement. Certainly we have moved on and feedback from parents and the students is very positive. We feel the students are very well prepared for the examinations.

“There is a pressure every year, because we can plan everything but grade boundaries can change. We have to always be trying to do our best and do everything we can to get our children making progress. As long as we can put our hand on our hearts and say we couldn’t have done anything more.

“There has been so much going on and staff are really throwing themselves into getting the best outcome.”

Mr Giles said he was excited by the prospect of joining the school in the next academic year and relishes helping them come out of special measures.

“I am really looking forward to getting to know the students, staff, parents and wider community of St Joseph’s in September,” he said.

“It will be a real privilege to work with them all and to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of such a great school.”