Pupils unsafe at ‘inadequate’ city school

A TROUBLED Birmingham school has been branded “inadequate” by Ofsted – with inspectors fearing for the safety of pupils.

A damning report says “aggressive and defiant” pupils at Starbank School, in Yardley, leave other children, and even some staff, “feeling vulnerable”.

Parents told inspectors that they doubted the school’s abilities to keep their children safe, and the report agrees “safeguarding is ineffective”.

Among the main points in the bombshell document are:

Many secondary students are aggressive and defiant;

Pupils turn up late, improperly dressed and without equipment;

Poor behaviour is having a detrimental effect on learning;

Staff have difficulty in dealing with challenging behaviour;

Even some members of staff feel vulnerable at school;

The quality of teaching is inconsistent.

Teachers went on strike at the Hob Moor Road school in June and July because of poor pupil behaviour. Parents and former teachers claim there had been regular ‘Thursday fights’, a student attempted to jump out of a window, staff locked classrooms to keep pupils safe, and were issued with ‘panic buttons’.

Police confirmed officers were investigating allegations of two boys with a knife at the school and a worried mum called for metal detectors to be installed on the gates to search children for weapons.

“The behaviour of a significant minority of pupils in Years 7 to 11 is poor and unsafe,” Ofsted said. “Their aggressive, defiant behaviour leaves other pupils and some staff feeling vulnerable. Safeguarding is ineffective.

“Leaders’ and governors’ actions to address unacceptable behaviour have had insufficient impact.

“Since the previous inspection, leaders have not kept pace with managing the expansion of the school’s age range and size sufficiently well.

“Worsening behaviour, fractured leadership and staff absence have led to the school’s decline.”