Primary school ordered to improve its standards

A HINCKLEY school has been warned by education chiefs that it must shape up after its poor performance.

Leicestershire County Council told staff at Hinckley Parks Primary that changes need to take place in order to improve standards.

The school changed its name from Holliers Walk last year and moved to the Mount Grace site on Leicester Road.

A county council spokesman said: “We can confirm that we issued a warning notice to Hinckley Parks.

“The local authority or the regional schools commissioner can do this where there are con- cerns about performance standards or safety – in this case, performance standards.

“We can also confirm that we have received concerns from parents which we’ve passed on to the school.”

It is not known if the school’s “poor performance” relates to teaching quality or school results following this summer’s key stage two examinations for pupils.

Paid for by the county council, the Victorian building on Leicester Road underwent a £4 million refurbishment and boasts a new library, classrooms and administration officers as well as a green energy centre to reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions.

Councillor Ivan Ould, the council’s cabinet member for children and families, said: “Our role is to ensure that children thrive at school and, clearly, there are still concerns about Hinckley Parks.

“We want to reassure parents that we’re working closely with the school and the unions to ensure these concerns are addressed and support staff to make improvements.”

The school can appeal to Ofsted against the warning notice.

One parent said she had withdrawn her child and transferred him to another school because of issues with bullying and the quality of teaching.

She said: “My concerns weren’t taken seriously by staff and he was falling behind because he had so many differ- ent teachers over a short space of time.

“There are dozens of parents who have moved their children elsewhere and lots who want to but can’t because there’s nowhere else to go.

“There’s even a Facebook page set up to support parents who are having problems called Hinckley Parks Concerned Parents.

“My child is so much happier now at a different school.”

A statement from head teacher Cath Allison said the school took bullying issues very seriously and had “clear policies and procedures” with a local authority “Beyond Bullying Award”.

She said that no more than 30 pupils had transferred, but that many more had joined with more than 500 pupils set to be on roll this September.

Addressing the high turnover of staff, she said: “We have a staff of 60 and consequently have experienced a higher number of changes than you may see in a smaller school.”

Mrs Allison said she welcomed that any issues were shared with the school and its governing body.

An investigation was carried out by the local authority last year over concerns senior members of staff at the school, including Mrs Allison, were involved in “prolonged and systematic bullying” of fellow staff .

It found “no evidence of deliberate bullying” but said relationships between senior management needed to improve.