One of the best-performing high schools in the country has been put into special measures after being downgraded from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate' by Ofsted.
The King David High School, an 800-pupil Jewish state school in Crumpsall, has been accused of 'unlawfully discriminating' against pupils on the grounds of sex by the schools watchdog.
The school was last rated as 'outstanding' following an inspection in May 2015.
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King David High School consists of a main school and two separate streams - Yavneh Girls and Yavneh Boys, which offer modern Jewish orthodox education at secondary school level.
But in a damning assessment, inspectors said: "The school is unlawfully discriminating against pupils who attend Yavneh Girls in relation to the protected characteristic of sex.
"Pupils who attend Yavneh Girls, unlike pupils in Yavneh Boys and pupils in the main school, are deprived of the opportunity to mix socially with boys and girls in other parts of the school.
"This constitutes a detriment to those pupils due to their sex. Leaders and governors must act to fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010 by ensuring that they do not discriminate against pupils in the Yavneh Girls on the ground of sex."
While pupils at the main school, and Yavneh Boys, benefited from a range of extra-curricular activities, inspectors said pupils at Yavneh Girls did not have the same access.
Pupils at Yavneh Girls felt 'isolated' under the current arrangements, the report said.
Ofsted has previously accused the school of 'unlawful segregation' of pupils 'on the grounds of faith and belief and sex' following an inspection in 2019.
The school was rated 'inadequate' at the time, but the report was eventually quashed after the watchdog was threatened with legal action.
Following the latest inspection last November, Ofsted rated the effectiveness of leadership and management and pupils' personal development as 'inadequate'.
While the other three categories - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and sixth-form provision - were assessed to be 'good', the school's 'overall effectiveness' was judged to be 'inadequate'.
The school's chair of governors, Joshua Rowe, has written to parents disputing the findings, which he has described as 'preposterous' and 'absurd'.
Mr Rowe said a legal challenge to the inspection result could also follow but said he intended to step down from his role 'as soon as possible'.
Ofsted's report also found 'widespread failures in how leaders protect pupils from harm', describing 'a legacy of chaotic safeguarding practices'.
"Some pupils are reluctant to report safeguarding concerns to staff," inspectors said.
"They have little confidence that staff will take their worries seriously. This is particularly the case for pupils who are anxious about their mental health, their physical safety and issues relating to peer-on-peer abuse.
"These pupils explained that they are reluctant to report concerns due to the way that some staff might react."
Inspectors said “a significant minority” of pupils felt unable to share worries with staff with some feeling anxious and unsafe because they felt staff did not treat them with respect.
The school was also found to have failed to follow statutory guidance when carrying out safe recruitment checks on staff, with 'leaders unable to offer a satisfactory explanation about how they had managed allegations against adults who may be a risk to pupils'.
Members of the governing body were also accused of 'interfering' with the day-to-day running of the school, 'hampering senior leaders’ ability to take appropriate steps to improve the school and safeguard pupils'.
In a letter to parents, Mr Rowe said the report failed to give a 'fair and balanced picture of the school'.
"The report presents a picture of the school which is unrecognisable to those who know it," he added.
"It is perfectly legitimate for Ofsted to highlight areas which require improvement. We welcome constructive criticism but their sweeping negative statements and their massive downgrade are way beyond the mark and border on the absurd."
Mr Rowe pointed to several changes he said had recently been introduced at the school, which he claimed Ofsted 'virtually ignored'.
He added: "School leaders and staff made a tremendous effort, over the past two years, to deliver teaching and learning during the Covid period and to look after our pupils’ wellbeing but this too was ignored by Ofsted.
"As to safeguarding , we believe that the evidence base is not well founded.
"Moreover, as is the case in all schools, there will always instances where the school might have done better but in general, our school makes a huge effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils and this was recognised in all previous Ofsted reports, including the report in 2019 which rated safeguarding as ‘effective’."
