School threatened with closure

[piapiapiano]

My sons school(LA) has failed their ofsted inspection in every area, and is being threatened with closure.
Does anyone know of anything we can do as parents to support the school?
The school has had problems with recruiting staff. However those that are there, are good dedicated teachers.
For the record the report bears no resemblance to the school I know.
My son (yr 11) is happy, confident and is doing well.

How do you know he is doing well if the school has failed on the progress of the children? He could be doing better with settled high quality teaching. However, there isn't anything you can do about closure. It will happen if that is the decision. Parents often have no idea how bad a school is because they don't see the data or make any comparisons with other children in other schools. Most parents assume that because their child is happy they are ok.

Schools are all having problems recruiting staff and this can make a huge difference to the progress and outcomes for the children. This will be seen as a failure of SLT and governance.

I assume the LA/school cannot just relocate all the children to different schools (are they all half empty?) so it will become a school within a multi academy trust. You can support your child by being positive because there is no reason why there will be great changes at the coalface. Regarding SLT there could be changes. The big problem is if more teachers leave. As he is coming up to exams I hope he won't see any changes over the next term.

It would be unusual to be shutting a secondary school, many are doing the opposite and trying to expand because of the number of pupils that need places with the authorities knowing that more places still be needed over the next 5 or so years.
As Bojorojo says it is much more likely that the school will be taken over and become part of a MAT (multi academy trust). Accept that you think the school is good but it is normally the parents that are the last to know when a school has gone down the plughole. There will be changes if it has failed in every area and those will probably include the head teacher

Have you received a letter saying the school is to close or is it rumour? How long ago was the Ofsted Report published and have parents been informed regarding how the school intends to improve or change? What is the source of the closure decision/rumour?

Thanks for responding. We received an email which said the 'Local Authority is required to consider the closure of a school 'as one of the two
reorganisation options, the other being opening as a sponsored academy' (The LA has been pushing for the school to accept academy status for the last couple of years)
We are hoping that it will get sponsorship but, it feels very much that the school will close.It is a small school in fantastic grounds which would be ripe for redevelopment.
I suppose being confident, happy, polite, well supported by your teachers and being put forward to sit all your exams (as opposed to the ones you will do well at) is my evidence that my son is doing well, however I accept the stats may not support this view.
As parents we want to support the school as we feel it has a lot to offer. As a year 11 parent I cannot fault the commitment and dedication of the staff and myself and many other parents would like to offer our support, but we're not sure how? Thanks again for reading.

Some key questions:

• How many children are at the school relative to its published capacity?
• How full are other secondary schools in the area?
• What have results - Ofsted and GCSE been like over the last 5-10 years?

I do know of a school closed over the last few years in circumstances similar to those you describe, but it was also way below its potential capacity and, unusually, other schools in the immediate local area could accommodate the extra students without the need for expansion involving building work. It had also had very poor results and Ofsteds over a long period of time, picking up briefly under particular heads being parachuted in but not maintaining those gains.

In that case, it wasn't the low results or poor Ofsted - though those had caused massive changes and upheaval over the preceding 5-190 years - but the emptiness and the ability to accommodate the pupils elsewhere.

Most other schools in the circumstances you describe have become members of academy chains - sometimes more than 1 in succession if results have not improved.

(I would also say that the closed school had amazing progress results, though from an extraordinarily low base. The teachers there worked extraordinarily hard but e.g. it had no specialist maths teachers and only 1 English teacher over the final 4 years it was open - it genuinely couldn't attract anyone to apply)

Likewise, theres a comp near us which closed a couple of years ago. It was well under capacity for years due to dire results and a very bad reputation. The nearest couple of schools also had spare capacity so the pupils had a choice of those to change to. (Although some further away schools also had spare capacity so a few went further afield). Not all areas are suffering from excess demand. Low numbers and poor ofsted could well mean closure.

One rather suspects the LA could see the problems mounting several years ago and wanted it to become an academy. Not that this is necessarily a solution and would not keep it from closure either in the circumstances. If the Governors resisted this but have been part of the problem, then their position is untenable. It really depends if the spaces at the school are needed and future demand is there. If the other schools are full it may be needed. If lots of new housing is planned it may be needed. Try and discover this information. If it stays open it will have a root and branch change of management but could be unpopular with prospective parents for a few years.

Personally, I do not think being entered for exams tells you much unless you were not expecting to take any when entering the school. Being polite is good but teachers can get criticised for setting work that is too easy so pupils are not challenged. Pupils feel supported but progress is slow.

Are you CE school in SC Oxon?

Thanks all, will read closely and respond tomorrow . Sorry, I've had a family funeral today and feel wrung out . And yes bojo.

I shall try to answer some of the questions. Yes the school is under subscribed. In terms of results, last years were not great. I don't believe there was too much of an under performance in the previous few years but I could be mistaken.
The school mainly has students from a different borough, whose schools are mostly full. The borough the school itself is in, I believe could accommodate their students, although the students would have to travel some distance.
The school does need a lot of money spent on it to be able to compete with other schools in the area.
I imagine you're thinking why would you send your child to an under performing, poorly equipped school? The simple answer is because it felt right. It felt warm, and encouraging. We were impressed with the staff and the pupils, and we've had no reason to regret our decision all the time he's been there.
Since my initial post, other parents have started a 'save our school' campaign, contacted MP's, been on the local news and radio etc. So thank you again for reading and your replies but it seems to be in hand by those who know far more than me!

I would say that the 'save our school' campaign is normal, and exactly what ghappened in the case of the school I know of that closed.

There was no rational, educational or budget reason why the school should stay open, but there was a loyalty and emotional attachment to it in the local community, many of whom had attended it themselves in earlier years.

What could have saved it was data - data showing exceptional progress and data showing future projected population expansion. However , if such data doesn't exist, then a campaign based on sentiment and the 'niceness' of the school is very unlikely to work.

What is the projected funding for the school under the new national funding formula? If funding is to be cut as well, it may be that the school - small for a secondary already - is simply not viable.

Thanks cant.
A decision is due to be made at the end of June, so we wont have this years results, even if they are good.
There are houses being built and a near by town is also due to expand so the data for the that would be available.

I do not know about the funding question - sorry.

A statement from the (not in control)LA has advised parents to start looking for schools, which I suppose is sensible but doesn't fill anybody with confidence.

www.schoolcuts.org.uk indicates about a 9% cut in real terms by 2019, about -7 teachers.

That's actually quite 'good' in relative terms, and probably represents a small cash increase in the underlying calculations - our local secondary faces a 12% cut.

As funding is on a per pupil basis, the inevitable departure of pupils in this time of uncertainty will make it increasingly fragile financially. Pr-active parents will move their children rapidly to the 'better' of the alternatives, realising that if they wait to see whether the school is going to be closed, any spare places in relatively desirable alternatives will have already have been grabbed.

The better teachers, especially those in subjects where there are plenty of other jobs - Maths, Sciences - will almost certainly apply for jobs elsewhere over the next couple of weeks to meet the end of May deadline for resigning ready to depart at the end of term.

It's brutal.

The LA advising parents to start looking for another school is very wrong. That is in effect not allowing any conversation about the best way forward for the school, to all intent and purpose it is shutting. Parents will obviously vote with their feet as will staff, so the school will go into a death spiral unless those objecting can get the LA to stop making such comments and allow proper scrutiny around a decision of the future of the school.

(School performance data www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/ does show a really steep decline over the last few years, from 65% getting A* to C in English and maths in 2014 to just 42% last year. National average for state schools was 63%, so the school is 20% below that.

It actually looks as if there have been 2 years of poor results, more than a 1-off blip, and progress is below average, particularly for low attainers at the end of KS2 and for boys. The Ofsted report does talk about low standards and low progress lower down the school as well, so it does not seem to be just a couple of poor cohorts.)

Admission, the point is that it is not the LA that the school is in - it is the neighbouring LA, from whom I understand most pupils come, as most schools in that LA are full.

I agree that for the LA with the school in it would be very wrong to be making such recommendations, because it cuts across their own consultation. The behaviour of a neighbouring LA is slightly more moot, though certainly not kind or particularly ethical.

Brutal indeed!
My DS should be ok providing he gets the results he needs. Although I'm wondering if he should apply for other things as a back up? But that's probably another thread.

But the other poor kids, and teachers and parents. What a horrible position to be in.
Thanks your input it is very much appreciated.

How has he been doing in English and Maths? Those do seem to be areas of particular weakness for the school (humanities and languages show pretty good progress and results), so perhaps if he is a bit marginal and his next step depends on getting good grades in those 2, it might be worth having a bit of a push / a discussion about what he might do if he doesn't get his predicted grade in those?

He seems to be doing ok/well in maths, he scored a 6 in his mocks. His English is, and always has been a problem for him. But, a friend (who was head of English in a very well performing school) has been tutoring him this year and she believes he's on track for a 5/6? But obviously no one knows this year.
He needs physics too, and again he seems to be ok. He's hoping for an A, although a B would be good enough.
He's due to start in September a very good engineering apprenticeship which would take him through to degree. So he's completed all the tests, had the interview,been offered the job, and signed the contract. But, it is result dependant.
I think the ofsted report was so damning it's put everything into doubt.
Such worrying times.

Admission: it is the neighbouring LA that has mentioned alternative schools. Most children in the school come from this LA and not the LA that funds the school and is consulting.

For the record this school has 509 pupils in it. The County Council has severe budget problems and is educating children from another LA in fairly large numbers in this school. It seems unlikely they would want to continue to put money into this outpost of another LA.

Again, please do not think GCSE results count for much in these circumstances. Ofsted are crystal clear that it is lack of progress that is the huge issue. If the school assessed the progress of children accurately, exam results could be predicted to a fairly good degree. The school should know what the results are likely to be. I bet Ofsted do!

Having read the report it is poor progress, lack of accurate assessment of pupils' progress, poor teaching in English, maths and sciences in particular, Governors who haven't got a clue because the info they are given is duff and unsavoury language allowed in class because poor behaviour is not tackled. There is more.

Where is a new dynamic leadership team coming from? They cannot get good teachers as it is. There are other schools in nearby towns, one in the LA and one in the neighbouring LA. They are already working with another school for maths leadership and teaching. The report specifically says SEN children are bullied and that boys do less well than girls. It is also critical of the school for not realising children are under-achieving and has done nothing about it.

Parents are clearly in denial regarding the problems here and the size of the school must make it uneconomic. Why would parents want such a mediocre school? There will be great upheavals if it closes and other schools will be affected as they have already noted, but keeping this school open just seems heart over head!

OK if this is the school I think it is, it is a foundation with a LOT of land - a proportion of this land is to be sold to a developer for £3.5 million and the houses were included on our village plan....allegedly this has dragged on because the council allegedly have the deeds and have taken their time to pass them on to the school (I hasten to add I am by no means an expert - this is just what I have been told) The school has struggled to employ teachers because its in an expensive area and teachers have to commute in as the cost of property locally is prohibitively expensive, they have also been employing cheaper young teachers who habitually do not stay long - the longer term senior staff at the school are dedicated, enthusiastic and loved by the pupils.

The sale of this land would a) put money in the pot to pay good teachers a living wage and b) is also earmarked for some sports facilities which would be rented to the local community to raise extra funds. Of course if the school closes all the land becomes available and it is worth a fortune.

Bojorojo With a good head and more funds the school could be turned round and will need to grow larger because a massive amount of new housing is going up and there are currently NO spaces available local for these students who will be displaced - a straw poll was done locally and I think they came up with a handful of spaces over the two counties for 500 children. They could close it to make an instant fast buck but within a few they will be spending over the odds for land and a fortune to build a new school - why the hell would you do that instead of improving what is already there?

I know there are problems, but one thing the school isn't is mediocre. It is a good honest, caring school.
In recent years there has been a change of catchment which has meant that the school has taken pupils from a different area. I think the school has struggled to cope with this, and hasn't been funded for the support staff clearly needed.
Maybe we should be putting pressure on the neighbouring borough who will have to find a school for these children?
Purpleswan I'm hoping the land may make the school more appealing for an academy, but who knows?
Thanks everyone for responding.

The thing is, the data and the Ofsted say that the school is providing a mediocre education for most children - hence their overall progress fugure is below average.

it doesn't mean they're not honest.

It doesn't mean they're not caring.

It doesn't mean that no children within the school are getting a good education. The Progress8 figure for children who joined the school as higher attainers (Level 5 and 6 in SATs) is positive, and would put it in the 'average' category if that was the same across the whole ability range. The Ofsted report also says that it is the middle and low previous attainers that they are most worried about.

So it is quite possible that if your child fits into this group, you will have a perfectly positive view of the school, and their educational experience will have been average to good. That doesn't change the fact that the data says it is providing a mediocre educational experience overall, looking at the school as a whole.

Within the school I mentioned upthread, certain children were doing absolutely brilliantly - but that didn't mean that the school as a whole deserved to stay open.