Top state school fails Ofsted test

AN ELITE state school nicknamed the ‘socialist Eton’ has had its Ofsted rating cut from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’.

Inspectors said ‘serious incidents of poor behaviour’ at Holland Park School, in west London, had increased, and some ‘spilled out into the local area’.

They also said that leadership was ‘poor and unfit for purpose’.

Last month, the school closed its doors to all pupils except those taking A-levels and GCSEs because teachers walked out in protest against plans for it to join an academy chain. Students had previously held a ‘riot’ against the proposals, leaving one teacher in tears.

Last year teachers reported Colin Hall, a disciplinarian who retired as head teacher in February, to the authorities, accusing him of abusive management.

The school got its nickname because it was popular with rich Left-wingers, and former pupils include the Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and the actress Anjelica Huston.