Kent grammar school wanted 'unfair' Ofsted 'inadequate' finding changed after claims 'pupils at risk'
A Kent grammar school disputed the findings of an Ofsted report which rated it "inadequate" when previously it had been "good" - and tried to get it changed. Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School in Ramsgate revealed it had failed to make Ofsted revise its findings which included that the school's recruitment process "puts pupils at risk".
Although the school in Clarendon Gardens for 11 to 18-year-olds was rated "inadequate" overall, a grade of "good" was given to: quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; and sixth-form provision.
The previous grade for the school, which has 1,428 pupils, had been "good". The areas rated "inadequate" by Ofsted were personal development; and leadership and management. The Ofsted inspection was held over two days in March.
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Headteacher Debra Liddicoat today said: "The inspection was not an easy process and we felt that some of the conclusions that inspectors reached were inconsistent, unfounded and show a lack of understanding about the legal and operational context in which we operate."
“For example, we teach using something very similar to the diamond model. This is where girls and boys are initially taught separately, and then come together in stages until they learn together at A Level."
"This structure was completely misunderstood by the Inspection Team as they felt it breached the 2010 Equality Act," she said.
'Pupils at risk' through gaps in checks during recruitment
Ofsted's report said the school needed to make its recruitment procedures "safer". It said there were gaps in checks which should have been carried out when recruiting staff, which "put pupils at risk" and these must be "resolved immediately".
Ofsted said: "The culture of safeguarding is not strong enough. There is not an appreciation that ‘it could happen here’. This puts pupils at risk. The school needs to ensure that training is ongoing and is adapted to reflect local safeguarding concerns. The impact of this training should be checked routinely."
The report also said the school needed to ensure its practice of "separating pupils due to their sex" was done in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. It said: "Pupils are not given the opportunity or choice to be educated with members of the opposite sex.
"Pupils who are separated into single-sex classes and tutor groups miss out on learning from pupils of the other sex. This is a detriment to both boys and girls."
Attendance was also brought up by inspectors: "Some groups of pupils do not attend school often enough and the school has not identified this or put in place specific strategies to address it. This affects the progress that these pupils make through the planned curriculum."
"In the sixth form, this may also put students at risk, as it is not clear who is on which site at any time. The school needs to put in place more effective monitoring of attendance figures, including in the sixth form, and use this to address barriers to pupil attendance."
Ofsted also said time in some lessons was not well used and "pupils complete activities that are unlikely to lead to learning". It said this prevented pupils making as much progress as they could.
"The school needs to make sure that teachers have a clear understanding of not just the content knowledge for the lesson but how that knowledge can be best taught and then learned."
Positive parts in report
But there were positive aspects in the report and in one part it said: "There are high expectations for what pupils can achieve and, for the most part, these expectations are realised. Pupils behave very well around the school and in lessons. Disruption to learning is very rare.
"Pupils also treat each other kindly, and there is generally a respectful relationship between pupils and staff. Most pupils attend school regularly."
Mrs Liddicoat said: "We also feel that some of their conclusions on safeguarding and attendance overlooked the evidence that was presented to them.”
But she said: “There is much our school can be proud of in this report. The inspectors initially found that we were Good in four of the five judgement areas that we were inspected against, and they praised our students and staff for our collective achievements and successes.”
"We are sorry to have to start the year on the news about our Ofsted report. Ofsted is, however, just one measure by which to judge a school. For us, what is truly heartening, is seeing day-in and day-out what our students achieve and watching them become the remarkable young people that they are."
'We will do whatever is needed'
"Please be assured that we will do whatever is needed to continue to be the very best school for the community that we are proud to serve.”
Mr Waker told parents about what happens next: "It is likely this will start with what is known as a Termination Warning Notice, that states that if we don’t take effective action then our school may be required to join a multi-academy trust. We have already developed an action plan and have been working through this while the complaints process has been ongoing.
"Where appropriate, changes have been made and we will always look at how best we can enhance our school. Ofsted will also be returning for monitoring visits in the near future. Once we have fully understood what the next steps are after further discussions with Ofsted and the Department for Education, we will be communicating with our community regularly about how we are moving forward as a school.”
Ofsted to scrap single grades
The Government announced on September 2, it would scrap "single headline Ofsted grades". It said: "Reductive single headline grades fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance across a range of areas and are supported by a minority of parents and teachers."
For inspections this academic year, parents will see four grades: quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management.
And from September 2025, there will be School Report Cards, giving families a "full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement", said a Government spokesperson. They said recent data showed reports cards were supported by 77 per cent of parents.