What can parents realistically do about a badly performing school?

[Stevie77]

Background - state secondary, an academy, non-religious. This is a grammar school area, all other school are oversubscribed so it's impossible to get an out of catchment place.

School currently has 'requires improvement' OFSTED status, was previously on and off 'good' and 'requires improvement'. The areas that require improvement are quality of education and leadership and management. In 2022, an interim inspection raised issues that clearly weren't addressed by the 2023 full inspection. Headteacher has worked at the school for 20 years, left briefly, and returned to be appointed as head and has been in role for less than 5 years. So under the watch of the new head the school has an interim visit that highlighted areas for improvement, and these were either not addressed, or insufficiently addressed/improved on by the time the inspectors returned.

Is there anything parents can do, assuming you've no other school choices and you don't want your child being marked?

One academy is not enough to judge all academies. Some are good, some aren't - same as LA-run schools. In my area all of the secondaries are academies and they are all good or outstanding. Across the country, 80% of secondary schools, 40% of primary schools and 44% of special schools are academies. The fact that the op's school is an academy is not the reason it is underperforming. There may be lots of reasons, but unless they name the school we won't know what they are.

I think as the problem isn't behaviour I'd supplement with home tutoring subjects that are not your strength and support what is being covered at school yourself in the subjects you are confident with.

My dd was allocated a bad primary school. I tried it but the behaviour was appalling and scared her. Teacher basically told me she's doing her best but can't watch all kids all the time nothing is going to improve. Once my dd went from exceeds expectations to working toward in her SATs I pulled her out to home Ed. We are grammar school county and hoping to fuck she can pass and get I to grammar school because from what I hear all local secondary schools are just as bad, the grammars are only marginally better but better is better. I'm not sure what I will do if she doesn't get into the grammars as she's a bright kid and soon will surpass my ability to teach and I can't afford the amount of tutoring she will need to reach her potential.

I think if it wasn't a behavioural problem for us I would have left her in school. I work in early years and am ofsted inspected, getting good or outstanding is a lot of paperwork and ticking boxes it doesn't necessarily mean the teaching is poor maybe they just don't push the children. Maybe they are actually supporting their SEN kids so less time spent on paperwork or pushing the kids. Etc etc. Bad management doesn't automatically mean bad teaching. You also said it's grammar county so the highest achieving children are not at that school. I think with ofsted reports you want to take most note of behaviour and safeguarding and if these are poor don't consider the school

This is similar to the conversation I had with my husband last night. Luckily for us, our eldest is in a very good grammar school, and the school is really on it. So we have a good benchmark for teaching and assessment in all subjects, the resources school uses for homework, revision etc.