Every Kent secondary school rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted and how they're working to improve

Deciding where to send your children to school is an important milestone in a family's life. Parents can consider many factors before applying for a school or an academy, including where siblings attend, how easy it is for the child to get there and schools' reputations.

Many parents turn to Ofsted reports as a way to understand the quality of a school's teaching and how it develops the young person in other ways. Ofsted inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages, and regulates services for children and young people.

Inspections are carried out by observing lessons, academic data, and analysing previous reports, along with scrutinising complaints, the leadership and talking to staff. Ofsted inspectors - known as classroom watchdogs - write comprehensive reports following their visits. These are made public and can be found on Ofsted's website.

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Schools are graded on a four-point scale: grade 1 (outstanding); grade 2 (good); grade 3 (requires improvement); and grade 4 (inadequate). The grading system rates the effectiveness of leadership and management, the quality of teaching, personal development and the outcomes for pupils.

As part of their grading, inspectors often make recommendations on how a school can improve going forward. Below are the Kent schools currently rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted.

Rankings from the Ofsted website were correct at the time of publication. Further inspections and re-inspections may have taken place that have not yet been published by Ofsted.

The Kent secondary schools rated inadequate by Ofsted - and excerpts from the inspection reports

Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey

Across two sites: One in Minster Road, Minster, ME12 3JQ; and the other in Marine Parade, Sheerness, ME12 2BE.

Secondary school. Latest Ofsted monitoring visit report published on August 30, 2023

Oasis was rated inadequate by Ofsted in June 2022 and put in special measures. It has had monitoring visits in March and July last year. Oasis Academy is all-inclusive secondary academy and sixth form serving young people from age 11-18.

After the July visit, a letter detailing findings was sent to the academy, and we publish some excerpts here: "Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey remains inadequate and requires special measures. Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the category of concern to be removed. I strongly recommend that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers."

It said: "You have ensured that leaders continue to raise expectations for pupils’ learning and achievement. Leaders have designed a structured curriculum with a clear rationale for what is being taught and when.

"Where teachers’ subject knowledge is strong and they use effective strategies in lessons, pupils are developing a deeper understanding and acquiring more secure knowledge. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is variable at best. Some pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers in routine lessons. Staff do not know all pupils’ additional needs sufficiently well.

"Additional support for pupils who are weaker readers is having a more positive impact, although this would benefit from further precision. The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development continues to improve. This is having a positive effect on the culture of the school, although there is more to do.

"The majority of pupils feel that they are taught to respect others. Incidents of bullying are decreasing. You have rightly prioritised improving pupils’ behaviour. Low-level disruption in lessons is reducing. It is now a minority of pupils who cause problems.

"The number of suspensions has fallen since the last monitoring inspection. However, there are still issues, mostly some pupils’ use of derogatory language. Older pupils at the Minster Campus behave better overall than younger pupils at the Sheerness Campus.

"You are increasingly gaining the confidence of parents and staff. The majority of staff feel that the school is well led and managed. Some parents remain concerned about pupils’ behaviour and how well their children’s needs are known and met.

"Overall, however, there is more optimism about the school’s improvement. Trustees and other trust leaders know the school well. They have a realistic and accurate understanding of the school’s effectiveness.

"They also know what the current priorities are, including the central challenge of raising pupils’ attendance more rapidly, and monitor the school’s progress closely. Trustees continue to invest significantly in improving the school."

The academy responds

"Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey reinforces its mission and long-term commitment to improve the academy, as reflected in the most recent Ofsted report. Since the last inspection, Ofsted have reported that leaders of the academy continue to raise expectations for pupils’ learning and achievement, by designing a structured curriculum with a clear rationale for what is being taught and when.”

Principal Mr Booth said: "We are thrilled that with every opportunity, we have been able to portray the improvements in the academy’s work to support pupils’ personal development, which has had a positive impact on the culture of the academy, as well as being praised for ‘right prioritising’ improving pupils’ behaviour, as highlighted and recognised in the most recent Ofsted report.

“Our priority remains the young people and wider academy community we are very proud to serve, whose trust and support we continue to gain increasingly. Our commitment to supporting our students to achieve their best remains as strong as ever, and we will continue to work hard to deliver our improvement plans.”

You can read all the Ofsted reports for the school here.

Parkview Academy

8 Approach Road, Margate, CT9 2AN

Independent school. Latest Ofsted report published on April 25, 2024

Parkview Academy is an independent special school, with the annual fee for day pupils at £83,995. It had a standard inspection on November 7 to 9, 2023 and was rated inadequate. An additional inspection was carried out in February this year and the report was published in April, with many of the findings published below.

Pupils are aged 11 to 16 and Ofsted said there were 15 on the school roll. All pupils are placed at the school by a local authority which funds their place.

In the most recent inspection report, Ofsted said there had been a change of leadership since the previous inspection. It said the teacher in charge had returned to the school in January 2024, having "led the school on two previous occasions since it opened in 2016".

It added: "Work has begun to provide adults with the knowledge they need to be able to meet pupils’ learning needs more effectively. Systems are in place to support teachers and learning support assistants to develop their knowledge of subjects and how to teach them effectively.

"Expectations for pupils to treat each other and the adults around them with respect have been reintroduced and are being met more consistently. Staff are undertaking ongoing and meaningful training about their safeguarding responsibilities, which has developed their knowledge and confidence about this part of their work.

"New systems have been introduced for recording safeguarding concerns, and these are understood by staff. Leaders keep appropriate records about pupils’ behaviour, which helps them to recognise individual successes and where more support may be needed.

"Leadership and management were not effective at the last inspection. Leaders did not have the knowledge or understanding to fulfil their roles effectively.

"Decisive action was quickly taken to improve the school. The proprietor, with support from the head of education and governor, worked swiftly to review and strengthen the school’s leadership. The action plan submitted to Ofsted demonstrated leaders’ clear recognition of the school’s weaknesses and an appropriate plan to tackle them.

"Since rejoining the school in January 2024, the teacher in charge has provided useful knowledge and experience that is helping the school to take the necessary actions. Staff and the proprietor have confidence in the teacher in charge’s leadership."

"There is a common sense of purpose across the school, with a shared desire to make things better. In the very short time since the last inspection, weaknesses in safeguarding, behaviour, supervision and risk management have been addressed successfully.

"Pupils' well-being is now actively promoted. However, leaders have more work to do in order to ensure that all of the standards are met consistently."

Overall outcome since April's inspection: "The school does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection."

Parkview Academy is run by Parkview Care. It refused to provide a comment to KentLive.

You can find all the Ofsted reports for the school here.

Two Bridges School

Charles Street, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 0DS

Pupil referral unit. Latest report published on April 30, 2024

Two Bridges is a local authority-owned pupil referral unit for boys and girls aged between 11 and 16. This pupil referral unit is part of the West Kent Learning Forum, which means the school works in partnership with a number of local secondary schools.

It was put in special measures after its inspection during two days in February, with the report published in April. It was previously rated outstanding following its 2018 inspection.

The latest report said: "Pupils do not receive the education they need to prepare them well for the future. The narrow curriculum offer means that pupils do not learn important knowledge and key employable skills that they will require. This includes how to use information and communication technology.

"Most pupils do not attend school regularly. The school has taken recent action to address this and some pupils now have an increased timetable when they should be attending the school.

"Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the expert help that they need. An inconsistent approach in how staff manage behaviour means that lessons are often disrupted.

"Time is taken to listen to pupils’ views and their frustrations. However, staff are not always confident in what strategies they should use to provide help to the significant minority of pupils who have complex behavioural needs.

"The very recently appointed interim head teacher has quickly identified the areas of the school’s provision that urgently need to be improved. Some initial positive steps have been taken to address areas of significant concern. This is evident in the improvements that have been made to the safeguarding systems and processes that are now in place.

"Staff do provide positive pastoral care to pupils. Time is taken to build pupils’ trust and form a positive relationship with them. Pupils report that they feel safe in school as they know staff will help them if they ask. Staff consistently praise pupils for doing the right thing. This helps to build pupils’ confidence and for them to feel accepted within the school.

"Attendance is very low and pupils frequently do not arrive at school on time. The school also does not record attendance information correctly. New approaches, such as improving communication with families, are beginning to ensure that some pupils are now attending school more often.

"Pupils are not learning an ambitious curriculum that readies them for the next stage of their education, training or employment. This potentially limits how well pupils can successfully return to mainstream school or be well prepared for further education and employment.

"Pupils do not benefit from a carefully considered personal development curriculum. This means pupils are not getting the support they need ready for adulthood and life in modern Britain. The school must urgently review the personal development provision and offer."

The school responds

A spokesperson for Two Bridges School told KentLive: "We are naturally disappointed with the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection held in February but pleased that the report recognises that the very recently appointed interim head teacher has quickly identified the areas of the school’s provision that urgently need to be improved.

“Since the inspection earlier this year we have worked to improve in the short term and begin to embed those changes to support the young people at the school. Our focus now is on ensuring staff continue to build on the good work they have already started in implementing a number of measures, including introducing an improved curriculum and communicating in a better way with parents and carers of pupils.

“We will continue to work with the local authority as our transition to a multi-academy trust is finalised.”

You can find all the Ofsted reports for the school here.

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