Nathan Thomas, the Principal for Medina College has received high praise from Sir Michael Wilshaw (pictured), HM Chief Inspector at Ofsted.
Sir Michael wrote to the Principal of the College following the Ofsted inspection earlier in the year which found the school ‘requiring improvement’.
Praising Mr Thomas’ actions, Sir Michael said,
“You have acted quickly and decisively to deal with the many issues that the college faced when it opened in 2011.”
Acknowledging the lack of support from the previous council, he went on to say,
“I recognise that schools on the Island have found the transition from 13-18 to 11-18 education difficult and I note from the report the disappointing lack of support from the local authority during this difficult time.”
Training and support having a positive impact
Praising the quality of teaching and improvements in attendance and achievement of pupils, he said,
I was pleased to read about the improvements at the college, in particular the quality of teaching, and in students’ attendance and achievement. The effective training and support that you are providing are clearly having a significant impact on teachers’ work.
Focused on the quality of provision
Medina College Principal, Nathan Thomas, told OnTheWight,
“There have been some difficult times for education on the Island and for Medina. The staff at Medina continue to work tirelessly to improve the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms for every student.
“Whilst we still have some way to go, we are confident this relentless focus on the quality of provision in the classroom will have an impact on sustainable improvements over time.”
In an email to OnTheWight, the College highlights a number of exciting initiatives launching from September, such as the introduction of the Medina Maestro programme for talented and enthusiastic musicians, which sees the College paying for the students’ tuition and giving them additional music classes each week.
Support and encouragement
Sir Michael finished his letter to the Principal by saying,
“I would like to offer you my support and encouragement as you do all you can to ensure that children in your college get the good education they deserve.”
