Thrybergh school in special measures after being caned by Ofsted

Governors at Thrybergh Academy had been aware of the “inadequate progress made since the previous inspection” but not done enough to stem the decline in standards”, according to Ofsted.

Four main areas all dropped to the lowest rating of inadequate — effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare and outcomes for pupils.

Some pupils told inspectors that they had heard racist comments and staff did not always deal with this effectively, while Ofsted also highlighted poor attendance rates, the absence of a culture of reading and that pupils’ attitudes towards their learning were poor. 

The report comes in the same week a mother blasted the school over its handing of an incident in which she said her 12-year-old son had a knife pulled on him in the school by an older pupil.

“I am not surprised (by the Ofsted rating) whatsoever,” said 38-year-old mum Amy Dickens.

“I feel slightly relieved that someone else has taken some notice.”

Ms Dickens said as far as she was aware the school had not informed parents it had been placed in special measures.

Early years provision — which was last rated as good in April, 2017, — received the lowest rating of ‘requires improvement’ following the two-day inspection in January. 

Her Majesty’s chief inspector, Michele Costello, said the academy-converter required special measures because it was “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school”.

Inspectors also found:

q In 2018, only 20 per cent of Year 6 pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics, which is well below the national average. No pupils achieved the higher standard. The progress made by Year 6 pupils in reading and mathematics was well below that seen nationally.

q Key stage 1 and 2 pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics had declined in the past two years and showed no sign of improvement.

q In 2018, Year 11 pupils made weak progress across their GCSE subjects. Disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils made particularly poor progress. 

Ms Costello said: “Instability in staffing, particularly in the senior leadership team, has led to a decline in the quality and standards of education since the previous inspection.”

But the inspector said recent appointments to the leadership team were starting to halt the 689-pupil school’s decline.

She added: “Although the early years requires improvement, children make better progress in their learning compared to pupils in key stages 1 and 2.”

The inspection also found safeguarding was effective and there was an increasing focus on supporting pupils’ mental health and well-being and pupils talked positively about the access they had to the school counsellor.

Acting headteacher Steven Rhodes, who was also the acting headteacher at the time of the previous inspection, had introduced tighter systems to record of racist comments, Ofsted said.

It was strongly recommended that the school did not appoint newly qualified teachers.

Ms Dickens said her son had been threatened with a knife in November and claimed the school has done little to support him or keep the suspect and other bullies away from him.

She added: “The school doesn’t really communicate. I’ve had a few phone calls off them to say my child’s doing something they shouldn’t be doing, but I can’t get anything across to them, there’s no ears, no-one is listening.”

South Yorkshire Police said a 14-year-old girl had been interviewed after officers responded to a report of a knife being used to threaten a 12-year-old boy on November 9, but due to a lack of evidence no charges were brought.

Thrybergh Academy failed to respond to a requests for comment on either the knife incident or the Ofsted report.