DOWNGRADE

City grammar loses outstanding status

A city grammar school has lost its prized ‘outstanding’ status from Ofsted.

The setback follows an inspection at Barton Court, which has now been downgraded to ‘good’ - the second highest of four ratings.

But in a letter to parents, head teacher Jonathan Hopkins insists the school is still “a great place to both teach and learn”. It was the school’s first inspection in six years and saw it subjected to a new more rigorous and challenging process, introduced by the government education watchdog last September. It still scored ‘outstanding’ in three important categories - behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

But it was graded ‘good’ for quality of teaching and sixth form provision.

In the report, inspectors noted:

“Sometimes teachers do not check carefully enough that pupils have remembered and fully understood what they have learned before moving on. “This means that occasionally some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are left behind or continue to make similar mistakes as before.

It adds that sixth-form leaders “do not systematically promote students’ non-qualification activities.” which. it says, constrains their personal development and preparation for their next steps.

But inspectors also recognised effective steps to strengthen safeguarding systems and says records of those working at the school are well organised. The new Ofsted inspection framework has been criticised by some schools, especially those in deprived areas, which have suffered downgradings due to its shift in focus. Barton Court was inspected in early February, at the end of Mr

Hopkins’ first term as the new head, after joining from Borden Grammar School in Sittingbourne.

He replaced Ian Macaulay, who stepped down after revealing one of his children had been diagnosed with severe autism. Following the publication of Ofsted’s report this week, Mr Hopkins wrote to parents to explain the overall downgrading.

He said that while the new inspection framework is much more rigorous and challenging, there is “clear recognition in the report of the many excellent features that Barton Court possesses”.

“It is increasingly rare for outstanding judgements to be awarded for ‘overall effectiveness’ or individual categories in the new framework,” he says. “As a head teacher it is very helpful that this new style of inspection provides clear judgements about different aspects of school life – rather than use one word to try and judge your school’s many different parts. “The report is very clear, there are several areas in which our school is ‘outstanding’. “Where our school is ‘good’ there is clear guidance to help us to improve and this will provide focus for our staff development and future school improvement planning.” Canterbury’s two other grammar schools - Langton boys and girls - have yet to be inspected since the new criteria was introduced.

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Barton Court head teacher Jonathan Hopkins had only been in the role for a few weeks before Ofsted arrived