LEADERSHIP is all important in schools and the new headteacher at Mount Pleasant Junior, Infant and Nursery School has certainly ambitious plans to raise standards.

The school has only ever had a satisfactory Ofsted rating but Dr Mujahid Ali has made it clear from the start that he expects an improvement and has already started to introduce his own methods.

He is aiming high with the eventual target an outstanding one.

He is an Ofsted inspector so knows just how tough his task will be, especially as he understands the dangers of Mount Pleasant sliding towards special measures.

Children have only one chance at education and every teacher should be doing all he or she can to achieve high aims every lesson, raising the pupils’ aspirations and expectations.

The school is fortunate to have someone with Dr Ali’s Ofsted experience and steely determination.

Those attributes should ensure that the school starts to improve and reach out for the highest standards, but one person alone can’t achieve this. Dr Ali will need teamwork backing him all the way.

He’s tackling the issues head-on so no doubt is ruffling a few feathers.

But everyone who has the school’s success at heart needs to get right behind him to make sure he has every chance to make their children’s school an outstanding one.

And the proof of that success will be in the Ofsted reports of the future.