Interview: Harrogate headteacher gives 'inside story' of school's remarkable recovery

Rossett School in Harrogate may have received a good rating in all five inspection areas in its latest Ofsted report.

But the remarkable turnaround under new head Tim Milburn, who took over at Rossett in May 2023, is only the beginning of a continued push to win back the school’s reputation in the town.

After two ‘requires improvement’ judgements in July 2019, and again in November 2022, Mr Milburn says the initial phone call from Ofsted with its positive verdict meant the world to everyone concerned – even if he had to sit on the news for nearly a month.

"All Ofsted reports are emotional but this was more so,” said Mr Milburn, former deputy head of Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School pupil himself.

"To see all the hard work by staff and pupils pay off was incredibly important.

"This isn’t about me, it’s been a team effort the whole time.

"We had to try and keep the news secret until the full Ofsted report was ready, which wasn’t easy.

"But it’s been lovely getting such positive messages from parents after the results were announced."

When he took over the role at Rossett School as part of the Red Kite Learning Trust just two years ago, Tim Milburn had said he was only following in the footsteps of previous headteachers at the school such as Jack Kennerley, Pat Hunter and John Whittle, who he remembers as a pupil in the days when it had seemed successful Ofsted inspections would never end.

"I remember being a pupil in the late 1990s and how great Rossett was; that is what made me want to be a teacher,” said Mr Milburn.

"When I was asked by Red Kite’s chief executive Richard Sheriff to come along to Rossett a few months before my official appointment, I’d heard the word on the street about Rossett’s reputation.

"But I got such a warm welcome at the school and the staff were clearly so good that I immediately thought “this is a school that can be turned round very quickly”.

"Parents have been looking for validation that Rossett School was back on track and the Ofsted report means they can feel able to say “okay, I believe it now.”

Receiving a good rating in all five inspection areas in its recent Ofsted report was a testament to the commitment not only of staff but also of pupils at Rossett School, said Mr Milburn.

"The Ofsted inspection team was really good and there are some really lovely lines in their report about us.

"I’m particularly pleased that student attitude and behaviour was praised, as well as leadership and management.

"If you are a parent, that must give you confidence that Rossett School is the right place to send your children.”

As a man whose enduring passion outside school life is York City FC, Tim Milburn is not someone to take anything for granted or opt for resting on any laurels.

Even if Ofsted inspections weren’t set for major changes under the Government in the aftermath of the heartbreaking case of Berkshire-based headteacher Ruth Perry's suicide, Mr Milburn would be stepping up improvements further at the school he loves so much.

But the forthcoming shake-up of Ofsted procedures and rules, which may or may not happen this November, is likely to be less than straight-forward.

“From what I’ve already heard, there’s going to be a quite different way of judging schools with more about inclusion and creating great experiences for pupils, which I wholeheartedly agree with," said Mr Milburn, who is married with a daughter.

"The language of Ofsted reports may be softening but I’m not entirely sure there will any reduction in targets to hit or that the level of difficulty and pressure facing school heads is going to ease.

"It’s unlikely that the era of robust inspections and monitoring will end.”

Rossett School may have, for the moment, escaped what he describes as the “cliff edge of inspections” but Tim Milburn is realistic about what the road ahead at Rossett School.

"It’s great that parents are seeing Rossett School in a different light now.

"I know how much everyone in Harrogate as a whole wants only the highest standards for all of its schools.

"I did feel a buzz when I finally read the Ofsted report and it’s helped change the narrative in the town about us.

"But my very next thought was “okay, what’s next?”

"Improving Rossett School is not something which can ever take a break.”