The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Ex- governor wants answers after slump
Answers sought following inadequate Ofsted report
Aformer governor is calling on education chiefs to explain why a successful Peterborough school has slipped so much that it was labelled inadequate by inspectors. Highlees School in Ashton Road, Westwood, was placed in special measures after an Ofsted visit in October last year, when inspectors said it was inadequate.
The severe criticism came after a troubled time for the school when the then head teacher, Dan Sutton was suspended in 2010 before resigning two years later without a stain on his reputation.
His suspension was followed by the installation by Peterborough City Council of an interim Executive Board ( IEB) to run the school.
Now Roger Hughes, the former vice chairman of the school’s board of governors, has written to The Depart- mentfor Education asking for an explanation into the series of events.
He said: “The council applied for anIEBfor the school, and I and another governor opposed it, but the Department for Education sanctioned the IEB. Now we can see just how effective the board has been at the school.”
Mr Hughes said he was disappointed to see how the school had fallen.
He said:“In 2009 the school had a satisfactory Ofsted, and was improving.
“I want to know why the school has been allowed to go down hill, when it is in such a deprived area of the city. I have lived in the area all my life, and I have worked hard for the school.
“It concerns me that the children are not getting the best education there.”
The Ofsted report acknowledged the new head teacher, Emma Ward, was working hard to improve the school.
A council spokeswoman said: “The IEB was set up following the approval of the Secretary of State after the previous governing body was deemed ineffective.
“The IEB concluded its work at the end of July 2012 and no longer exists. A shadow governing body was in place for the first part of the autumn term and a new governing body has been in post since the end of November 2012.
“However, Ofsted inspectors provided independent reassurance when they visited in October that the governing body is effective in supporting the school to improve.
“In their report inspectors praised the ‘ wealth and breadth of relevant expertise amongst governors’ working alongside members of the interim executive board.”
The report added that ‘ their collective expertise as interim governors is helping the school to begin to improve; for example, the school’s budget is now managed more effectively than in the past.’
Inspectors added that ‘ all governors are developing their role in helping to evaluate the school’s effectiveness.”