Hertsmere parents ‘unable to speak out’

A NUMBER of parents of children at Hertsmere Jewish Primary claim they were unable to speak freely when Ofsted returned for a follow-up inspection last week.

The Radlett-based school was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate earlier this year after the inspectorate reported that many parents lacked the trust to raise issues of concern with staff.

But HJPS chair Iain Blakeley has defended last week’s arrangements, attributing the discontent to “just a tiny minority” of parents.

Ofsted gave the school a day’s notice that it was returning on Wednesday last week to check progress since the publication of its critical report in March.

The report stated that confidential information had been shared too openly and that professional lines between staff, governors and other members of the community had been blurred.

Parents were told by HJPS last week they could email feedback to Ofsted and attend a meeting with the visiting Ofsted inspector at school.

But several parents said they were inhibited from using the email because it was a school address.

“They shouldn’t ask parents for feedback through a school account,” one said. “It should go directly to Ofsted. It should be private and confidential.”

They also complained that the presence at the meeting of husbands of three members of staff had made some people wary of expressing criticism.

One parent felt “unable to speak out because you had parents there who were partners of people who work at the school… It wasn’t safe.”

Mr Blakeley told the JC the school had acted “fully in accordance with Ofsted’s requests. They specifically requested that we notify parents and ask that they send emails to our feedback email address.

“This is a confidential email address, which is seen only by myself and the head. All the emails received were shared with Ofsted.”

He added that parents had the opportunity to speak “in confidence” with the inspector at the school gate — or “in privacy” after the meeting.

Personal email he had received indicated “how much parents appreciated how hard the school and governing body have worked to take action to improve the areas of weakness”.

As a result of its downgrade, HJPS must switch from being a voluntaryaided school, answerable to the local council, and become an academy. Mr Blakeley told parents last month that HJPS planned to become part of the United Synagogue’s new Jewish Community Academy Trust — a network comprising four other primary schools — in October.

We have acted fully in accordance with Ofsted’s requests’