'Many pupils have been put at risk' Caddington school in special measures after Ofsted finds serious failures
A school has been put in special measures after a damning Ofsted report found pupils had been put at risk.
Manshead Church of England Academy has been told it is failing pupils, with inspectors ruling that safeguarding standards have not been met.
In a report published this week, inspectors stated: “Over time, many pupils have been put at risk. This is due to safeguarding systems that do not protect them as they should."
And the report went on to note: “Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious allegations of a child protection nature were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the school in response to the allegations were considered alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ evaluations.”
The school, on Dunstable Road in Caddington, was inspected on July 8 and 9, with the visit beginning as a focused monitoring inspection following complaints raising serious concerns with Ofsted.
But it was then upgraded to a full inspection.
Five areas – achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance – were rated as ‘requiring urgent improvement’, while personal development was given a ‘needs attention’ rating.
In their report, inspectors warned that some pupils were “not confident to share their concerns as they feel it is not dealt with consistently well.”
And they said: “Leaders have not consistently pre-empted risk, such as that posed by some pupils who demonstrate harmful sexual behaviour”. But the report acknowledged that staff have recently undertaken training on this aspect of safeguarding.
They also criticised ‘unprofessional’ staff conduct, finding some staff were "overly familiar and too informal, while some behaviours did not meet Department for Education standards. “These behaviours have been a longstanding feature of the school's culture,” the report noted.
It went on to state: “Some staff have not acted with pupils’ interests at heart.”
Inspectors also found homophobic language, racist and sexist attitudes among some pupils, and linked this to inconsistent teaching of personal, social, health and economic education and relationships education.
Many Year 11 pupils achieve well below national standards in English and mathematics national exams, the report explained – while many “do not learn the basic knowledge that they need in reading and writing”.
The report also noted that many children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) “do not make the progress that they are capable of”.
Pupil attendance was low, said inspectors, with absence increasing and over half of the school’s disadvantaged pupils “persistently absent”.
Leadership was also criticised as the school had three headteachers over four terms, with interim headteacher Mark Little only in post for the summer term, while the school was operating without deputy headteachers at the time of the inspection.
A new headteacher, Olivia Burke – and deputy headteachers – are now in place.
A school spokesperson said it was ”working relentlessly” to address the catalogue of issues, and has organised a meeting with parents to discuss the next steps.
They said: "We understand that the report may cause concern, and we are sorry that the academy has not consistently provided the standard of education and care that children deserve.
"The academy and the [Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy] Trust take responsibility for addressing these shortcomings. Since the inspection, staff and leaders have been working relentlessly to make positive changes, and many of these are already beginning to make a difference.
"This includes new leadership at the school, including a new headteacher and two new deputies. We are using extensive support to help us improve, and Ofsted will regularly check that we are making the progress that we need to make.
"Our priority is to ensure that every child feels safe, receives the best possible education, and has the support they need to thrive."