STUDENTS have been sharing their experiences of life at a Stalybridge secondary school with their local MP.
Jonathan Reynolds, who is now also a Government minister, recently paid another visit to Copley Academy.
The Business Secretary met with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Ambassadors of the Huddersfield Road school.
The student representatives discussed positive changes in recent years and raised ideas for further improvements, particularly around the school’s building infrastructure.
MP Reynolds, who represents Stalybridge in Parliament, has visited Copley on several occasions in recent years – including for the opening of the school’s newly-refurbished Food Technology room and charity events.
On his latest visit, he congratulated the school on achieving a ‘Good’ rating in the Ofsted inspection conducted in June.
Copley – which is part of Great Academies Education Trust – found itself bottom of the ranking system in 2018 after a rating of ‘inadequate’.
However, the new Labour government, of which Mr Reynolds is part of, announced earlier this month that single-word Ofsted grades for schools were to be scrapped with immediate effect, to be replaced by report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents.
“We are incredibly proud of our students and the progress we’ve made as a community,” said Principal Ruth Craven.
“Having Jonathan visit us and acknowledge our achievements means a great deal, and we are grateful for his ongoing support.”
Mr Reynolds expressed his admiration for the efforts of both staff and students in turning the school around.
“It was wonderful to visit Copley Academy to celebrate their ‘Good’ Ofsted verdict,” the MP commented. “It was also a joy to meet the student Wellbeing Ambassadors. They help improve the school and they support other pupils; I was incredibly impressed by them.”