Latest news with #specialmeasures


BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Brackley's Magdalen College given government warning over report
A secondary school which was placed in special measures after it was rated as inadequate by an education watchdog has been given a government Department for Education (DfE) issued Magdalen College School (MCS) in Brackley, Northamptonshire, with a warning notice following an Ofsted report which ranked it as "inadequate"It means the secondary risks losing its funding if urgent changes are not a letter to the school's trustees, Carol Grey, the DfE's regional director for the East Midlands, wrote that "rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy" was required. MCS declined to comment on the warning notice. Ms Gray wrote: "If I am not satisfied that this can be achieved, I will consider whether to terminate the funding agreement in order to transfer the academy to an alternative academy trust."While she did "acknowledge the verbal and written assurances the trust has already provided", she called for "longer-term plans" to ensure improvements to safeguarding June, Ofsted's report found pupils at the school had "failed to provide pupils with an acceptable standard of education".The school was downgraded from a previous rating of good, with inspectors finding it failed to ensure "pupils' physical safety".At the time of the report, the school said it "acknowledged" the outcome of the inspection and said it would take the judgement "seriously" as it committed to "urgent" improvements through a "rapid action plan". What did the Ofsted report find? The report, which followed an inspection in April this year, found "staff do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve or how they should behave", with pupil outcomes at the end of key stage four "too low".Inspectors found that "too often" pupils did not engage well or meaningfully with learning activities, with unacceptable levels of lateness or "most pupils feel safe in school", the report also said they "frequently hear other pupils using discriminatory and derogatory language" but did not report it as "they feel the school will not do anything about it."But the report found the school had "developed a clear programme to support pupils' broader development", including online safety and adopting healthy lifestyles. It also found staff had "higher expectations" of its sixth-form said that 1,348 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the mixed gender school, of which 195 are enrolled in its sixth-form. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
12-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Woodeaton Manor School move from 'dilapidated' site to take years
Plans to move a school from a "dilapidated" site are at a "very initial stage" and will take years to come to fruition, a council leader has Manor School, near Oxford, was rated inadequate and found to be "chaotic" by Ofsted inspectors who visited in October 2023. Its governing body later resigned.A new head teacher and governors were appointed but - while inspectors found it had improved on a visit in March - it remains in special County Council leader Liz Leffman said what had happened at the school was a "very unfortunate episode". The authority said in June it had suffered "significant financial implications" after the school's former governing body did not "appropriately invest" in its Grade II* listed building and wider council said it had spent £1.6m improving it, including spending £900,000 on replacing fire doors as well as making other "fire safety improvements to meet the legislative standards"."None of us are proud of the fact that the school has failed in such a dreadful way and has had such a poor Ofsted report," Leffman told a council meeting on Tuesday."The whole question of what happens to the school is under review and we will be announcing in due course what that is going to look like." In a statement published ahead of the meeting, she said: "Our plans for the future relocation of the school are at a very initial stage and will take a number of years to develop. "I can understand that for parents and their children, the prospect of moving the school is disturbing. When these plans are firmer, we will involve parents and the school community on how we move forward."The school has about 80 pupils, all of whom have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).It previously offered residential placements but they were paused following Ofsted's inspection in 2023 and they have since been closed. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.


BBC News
30-06-2025
- BBC News
Ofsted puts Brackley's Magdalen College in special measures
A secondary school has been placed in special measures after it was rated as inadequate by an education watchdog. Ofsted found pupils at Magdalen College School in Brackley, Northamptonshire, had "failed to provide pupils with an acceptable standard of education".The school was downgraded from a previous rating of good, with inspectors finding it failed to ensure "pupils' physical safety", as first reported by the Northampton Chronicle and school said it "acknowledged" the outcome of the inspection and said it would take the judgement "seriously" as it committed to "urgent" improvements through a "rapid action plan". The inspection, which was carried out in April this year, found behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management and the quality of education at the school was all said personal development and sixth-form provision were in need of improvement. Unsupervised classrooms The report said that 1,348 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the mixed gender school, of which 195 are enrolled in its found that "staff do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve or how they should behave", with pupil outcomes at the end of key stage four "too low".Inspectors found that "too often" pupils did not engage well or meaningfully with learning activities, with levels of lateness or absence also not "most pupils feel safe in school", the report also said that pupils "frequently hear other pupils using discriminatory and derogatory language" but did not report it as "they feel the school will not do anything about it."Some areas of the school were also deemed unsafe, with staff leaving pupils unsupervised in the report found the school had "developed a clear programme to support pupils' broader development", including online safety and adopting healthy lifestyles. It also found staff had "higher expectations" of its sixth-form cohort. 'Disappointing outcome' In a statement, the school said: "We fully accept Ofsted's findings and understand the seriousness of the issues raised. "While this is a disappointing outcome for our school community, it is also an opportunity for deep reflection and renewed focus. "Our students deserve the very best, and we are absolutely committed to transforming the school and delivering the high-quality education every child deserves." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
27-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Greenhithe care home rated inadequate after service deteriorates
A care home in Kent has been placed into special measures after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had found the service had deteriorated since its last Care Home Ltd in Greenhithe, run by a provider with the same name, has been rated as inadequate after a January inspection uncovered a number of serious issues. Inspectors found an example of staff did not always treat people with dignity and had failed to seek medical advice for a resident who had been constipated for seven days, as well as inaccurate temperature records, blank risk assessments, and various pieces of damaged equipment. The provider has been contacted for comment. Immediately after the inspection the CQC said it suspended the service's rating on its website, ensuring anyone looking for information would see an up-to-date reflection on the care being provided. Staff left 'directionless' Serena Coleman, the CQC's deputy director of operations in the south, said it was "disappointing". "Poor leadership had left staff directionless and unable to provide safe, effective, person-centred support," she said."It was extremely worrying that without consistent leadership, staff weren't able to protect people from the risk of harm, as they didn't have good guidance to refer to when supporting residents. This was particularly concerning due to the seriousness of some of those risks." Alongside the facility's overall rating declining from requires improvement, inspectors found the service to be in breach of five regulations. Some were unchanged from the previous inspection - including in relation to safe care and how the service was being managed - but the CQC found additional issues around staffing, safeguarding and person-centred Coleman added that, at the time of inspection, a newly-employed manager had been trying to make improvements but it was too early to assess their impact. While staff didn't always treat people with dignity, inspectors did find examples of effective techniques being used to comfort people when they were anxious and CQC has also begun the process of taking further regulatory action which the provider has the right to appeal.


The Independent
22-05-2025
- The Independent
Nottinghamshire Police removed from enhanced monitoring by watchdog
Nottinghamshire Police has made improvements and has been removed from an enhanced level of monitoring by a watchdog after being put into special measures last year. Last March, the East Midlands force was told to 'urgently produce an improvement plan' by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) after being put into special measures. The report came after the force was criticised for the way it handled of the deaths of Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber, and Ian Coates, who were killed by Valdo Calocane in Nottingham in 2023. While the watchdog said the decision was not linked to the force's handling of the case, the news was nevertheless welcomed by relatives of Calocane's victims as a sign that inspectors recognised how the force needed 'intervention and urgent improvement'. The report last year ranked three of the eight areas of policing 'inadequate' in the review following an inspection from the end of 2023 to January. Forces are moved into special measures – which HMICFRS calls being subjected to an 'enhanced level of monitoring' under what is known as the 'engage' process – when they are not responding to concerns raised by the watchdog or are not 'managing, mitigating or eradicating these concerns'. Nottinghamshire Police has now been removed from 'engage' as it has made improvements, HMICFRS said. All police forces are in routine monitoring under the 'scan' stage by default, the watchdog said. HMICFRS said the improvements include: its management of crime, including supervision of crime and oversight of performance; its leadership and force management, including making progress in governance and the use of data. The chief officer team was visible and accessible, and inspectors found a positive culture and active participation in change across the workforce; and the way it is preventing and deterring crime, by addressing the issue of neighbourhood officers and staff being unable to spend enough time working in their communities. HM Inspector Roy Wilsher said: 'I am pleased with the good progress that Nottinghamshire Police has made so far. While there is still work to do, I have recommended removing the service from our enhanced level of monitoring, known as engage, and return it to routine monitoring. 'We are reassured by the plans the police force has in place to continue making improvements, particularly in relation to crime investigation, leadership, force management and neighbourhood policing. 'We will continue to assess its progress to make sure the people of Nottinghamshire are getting the service they deserve.' Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order last year for stabbing to death university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, as well as school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in the early hours of June 13 2023. Calocane admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility and pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of three people who were hit by a van stolen from Mr Coates, after Nottingham Crown Court heard he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. During a meeting with the Prime Minister in February this year, the families of the Nottingham attack victims were told a judge-led statutory inquiry would take place and that it would scrutinise a 'number of different agencies'.