Racism, sexual harassment and violence ‘rife’ at school
BUT SCHOOL LEADERS SAY THEY HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SINCE SHOCKING OFSTED FINDINGS
A LEAKED Ofsted report has shone a damning light on a Yorkshire school where racism, sexual harassment, homophobia, bullying and violence were all found to be rife.
The report, seen by The Examiner, includes a long list of shocking findings unearthed by inspectors during a visit to The Brooksbank School, in Elland, Calderdale, on February 16 and 17.
Inspectors concluded pupils are “not safe” at the school on Victoria Road and said they “have been let down by leaders and those responsible for governance.”
The leaked report suggests the school has been slapped with an ‘Inadequate’ rating after being rated as ‘Good’ in 2016. But the school insists it has improved standards “rapidly” since Ofsted’s visit in February and says it is confident that the changes it has made “are sustainable and embedded.”
In the report, Ofsted’s inspection team claim “sexual harassment is distressingly common”, adding “many pupils regularly experience inappropriate comments.”
The report states: “There have been a number of instances of inappropriate touching and assault. Some pupils also experience shocking threats of sexual violence. Leaders are not doing enough to protect pupils from these experiences or reduce the risk to pupils.”
Inspectors also found students are “discriminated against because of their race and religion” and claimed kids “regularly hear racist language.” Ofsted added homophobia is also rife in the school, saying: “Pupils are also targeted because of their sexual orientation. Pupils hear discriminatory language, such as homophobic language, every day.”
“Discrimination by gender is also common,” wrote the inspection team. “Some pupils judge others on how they look. Leaders have taken some steps to address these issues, but this has not gone far or fast enough. They have failed to monitor incidents of discrimination and so have not identified the extent of the problem or acted swiftly enough to address it.”
Inspectors found pupils’ behaviour to be “better” while in lessons and said some had “praised individual teachers who have continued to support them despite the significant issues in the school.”
But they said learning “varies” throughout, adding students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those in lower sets, “are more likely to have their learning disrupted by poor behaviour.”
In a letter sent to parents, seen by The Examiner, The Brooksbank School said the report reflected findings “at that point in time” and added it has not waited for the report to be made public before taking action.
The school’s chair of governors, Marion Bain, wrote: “In the three months since the inspectors’ visit, staff and the governing body have worked tirelessly to secure the improvements we understand the school needed and which are already benefitting staff, students and the wider school community.”
But Ofsted claims the issues are wide-ranging and has concluded “the school is not a safe environment for pupils”. Inspectors reported physical violence among some kids “is a regular occurrence” and said “many pupils” have experienced bullying, harassment and/or discrimination.
The report states: “Fighting is a common occurrence during social times. A number of pupils told inspectors they were afraid of being ‘jumped’ in school. There are many areas of the school where pupils don’t feel safe.”
Ofsted recognised that staff have tried to offer pupils a wider range of opportunities, with some kids taking part in charity fundraisers. The guidance received by pupils on future careers was described as “useful and extensive.”
The school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, religious education and relationships and sex education curriculum was described as “lacking ambition”. “The PSHE curriculum is more appropriate in the sixth form and better prepares pupils for life after they leave the school,” wrote inspectors.
“However, the PSHE curriculum in the sixth form does not teach students enough about the importance of equalities, and some students do not understand that homophobic and discriminatory language is wrong.
“In subjects such as English, mathematics, science and history, the curriculum is more ambitious and leaders are clear about what pupils need to learn.”
In a statement given to The Examiner yesterday, the school said: “During the half-term holidays, on the evening of Thursday, February 24, the Education Exchange was contacted to support Brooksbank School. The Education Exchange is a group of like-minded trusts and friends who are dedicated to improving education in the north of England.
“The work is without cost and based on professional generosity and friendship. At 8am on Monday morning (February 28) a team of six arrived to work in the school. They included one CEO, two executive principals, a director of safeguarding and inclusion, and an associate executive principal. All are experts in education.
“On Wednesday they were joined by colleagues from across the region and there were 26 specialists in the school from six academy trusts. This enormous capacity allowed the team to work rapidly to train staff and bring about a rapid transformation.
“New safeguarding processes, supervision, behaviour policies, school day structure and specialist catch-up intervention classes were all put in place. This meant that children were safe.
“A series of meetings were held with parents to explain the changes which were greeted with support.
“Dave Hewitt is an experienced executive principal who leads one of the highest performing schools in Kirklees. He has been executive principal and has led Brooksbank since February 28. We are confident that the changes are sustainable and embedded and that the school is now flourishing.”
In a letter sent out last week, the school moved to reassure parents that it was taking steps to improve.
“Our guiding objective in making these changes has been the safety and security of students and staff. This means that the important matters raised in the report have already been addressed by the school,” wrote the chair of governors.
“Brooksbank School is now a safe and welcoming place for the whole school community. Immediately after inspectors shared their findings in February, we took swift action to secure immediate and rapid school improvement via the Education Exchange, which has provided senior leadership expertise, capacity, training and support.
“... Alongside our academic work, we have established a series of curriculum activities and changes to promote inclusion and respect throughout the school. This approach has been well received by students and staff and we can already see the impact of the pastoral programme now in place.”
The letter claimed the school has “transformed” how it supports students by introducing systems to deal with negative behaviour, training staff to deliver changes, splitting lunch and break times to “allow supervision to ensure all students feel safe during social times”, and updating its reporting systems.