THERE is a real buzz and a clear focus at an island primary which is being put back at the "heart of its community".

North Walney Primary, Nursery and Pre-School is on an upwards improvement journey, with parents, pupils, staff and Ofsted inspectors all acknowledging that the leadership of the new headteacher, Paul Slater, has "transformed the school in a surprisingly short period of time".

Over the last three-and-half-years the Duddon Drive school has faced "considerable staff absence", including the extended absence of the previous head.

Mr Slater, who has a proven track record of turning around schools, has restored the confidence and morale in staff and brought the excitement back to North Walney for the school community. His impact on improving all aspects of the school over a short period of time has been hailed as "outstanding" by the education watchdog and he has brought "much-needed strategic vision" and "authority".

A parent told Ofsted during the latest inspection that: "Everyone now has faith in the school."

North Walney's assistant head, teachers and other staff rallied around the school with what inspectors said were "efforts beyond what could have been expected of them" to ensure the school ran day-to-day. The primary also then benefited from an associate head for two days a week for two terms before Mr Slater became head in September.

Mr Slater spends two days a week at North Walney as he is also the head of Trumacar School, Heysham, another school he got back on track.

North Walney has been judged as "requires improvement" overall and was rated as good for early years education by Ofsted.

Mr Slater says the school has come a long way and he is full of praise for the team.

"We have come so far, so quickly. I'm privileged everyone has jumped on board.

"The assistant head, Chris Mountford, stood in and did a sterling job. The staff were tired and needed to recharge. They are back in and firing on all cylinders.

"We needed to get staff back on track. They are all good teachers here, but they have not had that leadership and the chance to do their own thing. They had been worn down over the years. It's giving the power back to them.

"We have humour here and we are part of a big family."

Mr Slater said the parent body and staff have been incredible and the new governing body is determined and very strong in its focus on where the school is going.

The new mission statement for North Walney is "The place to be - where children are at our heart". Mr Slater, a dad of two teenage children, said the school aims to be the focal point of the community for families.

He said: "I want to see the school back to where it should be, at the heart of the community.

"We look at the kids individually; we make sure they come in happy, they are settled; they want to be here and they enjoy school, because that's when the learning starts.

"I base schools on what I would want for my kids. If they enjoy school, they will learn, if they learn they are going to get the standards and the rest will carry on. It's not about results, it's about kids.

"The parents are on board with where we are going. It's so important we are a community school.

"Schools have to have a community feel because everything is disappearing, like children's centres."

"I want to offer what school should be, being the centre of the community."

The school/community projects are already under way. North Walney parents and staff were in school during half-term decorating parts of the building, parents have developed gardening spaces in the grounds for a club and next month the schools hosts Walney's gala on the playing fields.

In September, Mr Slater will introduce an after-school club at the school for primary-age pupils. The service will be provided for as cheaply as the school can offer, as it will generate some income for the school which is tackling a deficit.

Mr Slater is also keen to explore the possibilities of introducing community projects that have worked at his Heysham school, such as GPs holding pop-up surgeries for parents within school one day a month.

Returning back to community roots is so important to North Walney that the plan is to put the word back into the school name.

Enjoyment, laughter and hard work are all on show at North Walney. It's also a caring place which believes in positive hugging if a child or staff member needs a hug at times.

Chris Mountford, the assistant head at North Walney said: "The school is vibrant, the children are so hard working, they are keen to learn and we have so much going on here.

"We needed someone with Paul's experience to pull things together for us and lead us.

"In the past we were all working so hard and doing so many different things. Paul came in and simplified things and enabled us to move on with the confidence we needed.

"It's the same staff team, but with Paul the team has the confidence to move forwards.

"North Walney is growing and it is a positive place. It's really exciting for the children and the staff, and the parents have faith and confidence in us."

Staff from Mr Slater's Heysham school have also visited North Walney to design a new curriculum.

The school has recently benefited from £10,000 from the John Fisher Foundation for IT facilities, and the library upgrade has been supported with £3,000 from Kimberly-Clark and just under £1,000 from GSK.

*North Walney has been nominated for the CN Group's Golden Apple Awards 2017 by its school community. Nominations for the numerous categories are open until Friday July 28 at http://www.gaawards.co.uk


Walney Gala

NORTH Walney Primary, Nursery and Pre-School will proudly host Walney Gala on Sunday July 2.

The day of entertainment is a celebration for the whole island, bringing the dancing troupe competitions, stalls, and family fun day to the school playing fields.

North Walney Primary's PTA took over the running of the event two years ago.

The day will raise funds for North Walney Primary and staff, parents and pupils will be involved in the event.

Headteacher Paul Slater said: "We encourage people to come along to Walney Gala.

"We want to show the community we are a good school in terms of being a valuable part of the community."

The gates open at 10am and the activities run throughout the day.