THE new headteacher at Millbrook School in Grove has been praised by the head of her teaching union for her ‘real ambition’.

Jane Ratcliffe took over running of the primary in April, saying she would steer it out of special measures by getting children to love learning.

On Tuesday Russell Hobby, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), dropped in for a visit and said he was impressed by what he saw.

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Mr Hobby, who is touring many schools in special measures, said: “Millbrook is turning itself around. My visit here this week was to see more of what life is like in a school in special measures, what pressures they face and what we can do nationally to help teachers who are determined to do the right thing. The head and staff have a real ambition for all their pupils. It’s exciting and inspiring.”

The 445-pupil school in School Lane failed an Ofsted inspection in April 2012 and was put into special measures in April last year after a second inspection rated it “inadequate”.

Mrs Ratcliffe, a mum-of-two who lives in Wantage, said she would use long-term topics to teach pupils about maths, English and science.

Within her first month they had already used the local Letcombe Brook to learn about rivers and made sweet treat Rocky Road, with chocolate and marshmallows to learn about mountains.

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