‘Don’t judge us on the past,” says new head polishing up Preston school’s tarnished image

Principal Andrew Galbraith, who took over the hot seat at Preston's Fulwood Academy in June, is already credited with transforming behaviour in less than four months in charge.

But he insists it is only the start of a journey which he hopes will turn Fulwood into one of the best academies in the county.

"I want this school to be celebrated not only in Preston, but also further afield," he said. "I want it to be a school that we - staff, students and parents - can all be proud of."

Mr Galbraith's arrival is the seventh change of head at Fulwood in the past four years.

He accepts the job has proved problematic in the past. But after 26 years teaching in areas of significant deprivation in the North West, he insists he is up for the challenge of changing people's perceptions of the school after such a turbulent period.

"It's not as bad as some people make out," he said. "But I can't change people's views about the past. All I can do is to change their view of us in the future.

"Anyone who knows me will know I'm a man of very strong moral values. I'm not a person who lowers his expectations. What we say we will do, we will do."

The figures on exclusions, issued earlier this month in Lancashire, put Fulwood firmly at the top of the table for the number of students sent home for misbehaviour.

It was reported that the academy, which despite its leafy suburban surroundings draws pupils from some of the most deprived parts of the city, issued 299 temporary exclusions and three permanent ones in 2020/21 alone - a rate of 42.7 per 100 pupils which was 10 times the county average.

But Mr Galbraith says the sums just didn't add up, with exclusions now down 75 per cent on last year.

"Those figures were out of date," he said. "They covered a period from 2016 to 2021 which was a significant five-year period.

"Within that time Fulwood Academy went into special measures (for two years). So that data is not surprising. Yet it doesn't demonstrate the academy as it is today.

"I would welcome anyone to come and have a look around and see our students in lessons, learning, because headline figures and statistics can tell you any story you want them to tell.

"In reality we have parents being shown around now for their sons and daughters to come to the academy (next year) and we are proud to show them round during the school day. I'm not sure any schools in the local area still do that."

Since arriving at Fulwood from Highfield Leadership Academy in Blackpool, Mr Galbraith has brought with him a new philosophy for behaviour management and rebranded the academy to underline the school's high expectations of both its staff and pupils.

The new slogan is: "We care, we challenge, we commit."

And his first full opportunity to explain the new ethos to parents will come when he launches the new branding at the school's open evening tomorrow (Tuesday 4pm-7pm).

"It's about promoting our updated values," he explained. "We want parents to know that their child will be supported and cared for, but they will also be challenged to be the very best they can be.

"We want every member of our school community to develop a love of learning. Our aim is to do all we can to enable everyone to achieve the highest standard that they're capable of.

"In my role as principal, wherever I've been I've had the highest expectations of behaviour and uniform. I want every pupil at the academy to project the best version of themselves.

"As a parent myself I understand what it's like to make a decision for your own child to go to a school. It was one that my wife and I made when both our children went to high school.

"We've seen the school that they went to grow in the time they've been there into one of the most successful schools in the area. But it wasn't when they started."

Mr Galbraith accepts Fulwood has suffered from a poor reputation over recent years due to the behaviour of a small percentage of its pupils. But by tackling discipline inside school he believes it will have a spin-off effect on the youngsters outside.

"I think it's very easy for people to say 'oh, well, they are Fulwood kids.' But they are children and all children will make mistakes.

"We hold them to account for everything they do and already we're seeing a vast improvement. We're making sure they're doing what they should be doing at all times - and that includes the staff as well. But we do it in a respectful way.

"We constantly remind students of our expectations. When they're wearing that badge on their blazer they're representing us. We tell them 'don't forget the eyes and ears of the local community are on you.'

"We're seeing some impeccable behaviour now, students are polite and they're smiling. It doesn't take long if you do it right.

"I'm happy with the changes that we've made to date, but there are still others to come.

"The first priority is to get the academy to 'good' (in Ofsted rating) and then, as a trust, we have an ambitious plan of growth.

"It's important to have that because once we can demonstrate that we have capacity within to succeed and develop, it is then about showcasing that to others and working in partnership with other schools as a multi-academy trust. That's the goal.

"That would be an opportunity for others schools to come onboard and shape the future of the Dunstone Education Trust."