To remove daughter from school after appalling OFSTED

[revoveryishard]

My daughter school hasn't been meeting my expectation for some time. Awful communication, high staff turnover, inconsistent homework, not help available when she was falling behind in year 2, not checking staff therefore employing a known paedophile who was caught taking photos of reception children. I could go on!

OFSTED report has now been released and the school are inadequate in all areas putting the school into the special measures category. My main concerns are that the safety of children is not satisfactory, the employment process and pupil premium scheme are not fit for purpose. Teaching is appalling, huge gaps in the curriculum, children lack enthusiasm, staff moral is low. I work in schools and have never seen anything so awful!!

I don't know what to do, I wanted to move her when the paedophile story came out but my ex is religious and this is a religious school so he wanted to keep her there. I have sent him the report and said we need to discuss as a matter of urgency.

They give the school 2 years to turn it around but by then my eldest will be in year 5 and my youngest about to start reception. Year 5 will be too late to move her Altho I could send my son elsewhere.

It's worth mentioning that their last OFSTED was outstanding!!

Help me Mumsnetters, what would you do?? Move or see if it improves??

I would have moved mine as soon as I heard they had employed a convicted paedophile

Me too.

Your ex is deranged if he thinks leaving her at this school is/was okay.

Well done for standing up to him. The school sounds horrendous, I hope you're able to get a place at the new school you are viewing Tuesday.

Husband is now threatening court 🙄 feeling very stressed, what do I do? Surely no court would agree to keep her there- in the meantime tho ill have to keep her there and then by the time it's sorted there will be no places left at the school I want!

Move her and tell your ex after the fact. Put the ball in his court to seek an injunction requiring her to go back to the crap school. Let's be honest, that isn't going to happen. No judge will put religious observance ahead of numerous safeguarding breaches and now quality of education.

If it helps, if you are Christian, all schools in England are required to have a daily act of collective worship of a broadly Christian nature unless they have a specific exemption not to. (I know plenty dont' actually do this)

Don't know how quick I can move her. If he speaks to his solicitor tomorrow I could have an injunction by the end of the week. I known he won't win in court I just don't understand why he's being so unreasonable, all he cares about is the image of a catholic school and his pride.

If there's a space at the school that you are viewing on Tuesday, I'd speak to the LA first thing tomorrow to get an idea of how fast you could move her. Maybe before he can get his lawyer to do anything.

Yes I will contact LA tomorrow. I will also speak to my solicitor (still not divorced?!) and go to CAB. I'm not backing down this time, I let him get his way all the time, not this time tho!

my ex is religious and this is a religious school so he wanted to keep her there

Given that he's threatened court action to keep his DCs at a school who employed a known paedophile, I'd say it's precisely attitudes like his which have enabled the Catholic abuse crisis

I don't pretend to understand behaviour like that, but I'd just move them anyway. As PPs have said there's no way any court would stand in your way, and who knows - they might even have a few questions to ask him about how he protects the DCs

Move her -she lives with you.

I would have moved her years ago.

SM doesn't mean any extra funding. It means they can't employ NQT and the teachers will be stressed and under super pressure
Are you catholic -if not -extra reason to move her.

I would have moved her as soon as the issue with the paedophile came up! I think a poor ofsted is small beans in comparison to that.

I don't think you would be unreasonable to move your child, but more around the paedophile than the ofsted!

However, the amount of scrutiny that school will now be under means that it is probably one of the safest and most regulated schools to possibly be at - so if it does turn out that your DD needs to stay, it'll only get better.

What has changed at the school to move so quickly from Outstanding to In need of Improvement?

Move her. I moved mine from a failing school, the ofsted confirmed everything I already knew. I think it’s ok now but I wasn’t hanging around for 4 years to find out

It's not needs improvement it's inadequate in all areas! Safety issues, gaps in the curriculum, poor teaching, teaching year 1 maths to year 2's, low morale, poor management, SEN education is non existent and staff aren't aware of who needs it,hiring process is not for for purposes, pupil premium process is not fit for purpose, kids had access to main roads, employing too many NQT's who receives no support. I know I should have moved her earlier but I was scared of my ex and hadn't long left him. He was abusive and scary and is being like that again now. Thankfully I have no feelings for him and my parents said they will pay for court if it come to that.

my parents said they will pay for court if it come to that

Frankly I doubt it will come to that. Unless he's planning to do everything himself he'll need legal advice and any solicitor with sense would surely advise him he'd lose?

I only wonder how he can live with knowing he's supporting paedophile enablers ... to say nothing of the school's inadequacy in all other areas

He is clearly deluded and I can't believe he wants to keep her in a school that has made so many errors and is unsafe for his child! Trying not to worry as I know he won't win but I hate conflict and know how nasty he can be!

UPDATE: my daughter has left said awful school! Starts new school in January, lovely villages school, outstanding OFSTED and generally lovely staff and children! Very happy indeed 😁

OP, have sent you a PM x

"What has changed at the school to move so quickly from Outstanding to In need of Improvement?"
It's probably been a long gap since their last inspection. This one may well have been triggered by safeguarding concerns.
All I'll say for anyone else finding themselves in this situation is that when this happens to a school there is a massive amount of support put put in place very quickly. If it's an LA maintained school the Head will probably go, the governors will probably go, LA support will wizz in, a new board of governors will go in (an Interim Executive Board) and ultimately they will convert to an academy, as part of an academy chain.

She's moving to an outstanding school from one that was inadequate?