An rating of 'inadequate' from Ofsted is the lowest rating of what an education provider can be given by inspectors. According to the inspectorate, it 'means the school is failing to provide an acceptable quality of education and care for children and will need to make significant improvements immediately'.
The other three grades are 'outstanding', 'good' and 'requires improvement'. There are four categories of inspection, which are 'quality of education', 'behaviour and attitudes', 'personal development' and 'leadership and management'.
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Schools rated 'inadequate' usually have another full inspection within a three-year period from the date of the previous inspection. According to Ofsted, if they are state-maintained schools they are also required to become academies, so that it is easier for officials to intervene if it becomes necessary.
There are a number of education providers which have been given a rating of 'inadequate' in Nottinghamshire. And the five most recent have all had the reports of their most recent inspection published this year.
Harlow Academy, Mansfield
This special school has 79 pupils aged three to 18 years old on its roll. It was rated 'inadequate' in every area following an inspection that took place on January 18 and 19.
The report states: "Pupils are not safe in this school. Some are neglected because staff are busy dealing with other pupils' urgent care needs. Staff do not take pupils' education, health and care plans into account when they plan learning. Some pupils are currently not attending school because parents fear for their safety."
A spokesperson for the Academy said: “As an Academy we take our duty of care extremely seriously, which is why, following our recent Ofsted inspection, we worked closely with our pupils, parents, carers, staff and the wider community to take immediate action to address areas for improvement.
“Changes already made include appointing new leadership – both an Interim CEO of our Trust and an Executive Headteacher at the Academy - who are working closely alongside colleagues, parents and carers to ensure the best educational and care environment possible.
“We are also pleased to share that, from September 2022, the Academy will officially join Nexus Multi Academy Trust, a trust specialising in special educational needs provisions. Nexus has been a key part of the team supporting our Academy since the Ofsted inspection, which means we will retain our Academy’s new leadership team and the positive momentum we have already gained in order to give our pupils the best possible start in life.”
Wings School Notts, Newark
This boarding school has 35 pupils aged nine to 17 years old on its roll, and annual fees to attend are £55,000 per year. During an inspection that took place on December 7-9 2021, 'quality of education' and 'leadership and management' were rated inadequate, with the other areas 'requiring improvement'.
The report states: "Pupils do not receive a good enough education at this school. For many pupils, the subjects they study are not well planned. Leaders have not put effective systems in place to ensure that all potential safeguarding concerns for individual pupils are identified, tracked and monitored. The school's approach to reading is poorly planned, staff have not had the training they need to teach reading effectively."
A spokesperson for Wings School Notts said: "Wings School Notts is inspected for both its educational and residential provision. We were disappointed by the most recent education rating, following the inspection at the end of 2021, as we do not believe it accurately reflects the positive experiences of young people or the quality of education and safeguarding we provide.
"We officially challenged the findings through the Ofsted complaints process and in the meantime have worked hard to address any issues. We were pleased to welcome representatives of the local authorities who place children with us who have undertaken their own quality and compliance audits and who have been reassured by the work carried out.
"Since the inspections toward the end of 2021, we have also had a number of positive care inspections which have led to re-gradings which are more reflective of our provision.
"Whilst we accept that there have been areas for improvement it is right to note that we, like the majority of schools, faced unprecedented challenges as a result of the pandemic. These challenges had a direct impact on how our curriculum could be delivered and our usual ‘day-to-day’ life at school. Like other schools we are still recovering from those challenges.
"Whilst our care ratings have improved significantly, we continue to deliver against our own school improvement plan and look forward to welcoming inspectors back for re-inspection and the reinstatement of our previous Good education rating."
Jamia Al-Hudaa, Mapperley Park
This independent Islamic girls' boarding school has 156 pupils aged 11 to 19 years old on its roll, with some annual fees for day pupils reaching £4,100. The school was inspected on November 30-December 2, 2021, and was found to be 'inadequate' in 'personal development' and 'leadership and management'.
The report states: "Pupils do not benefit from a rich set of experiences at this school. Pupils do not have many opportunities to experience life beyond the school gate, they have few chances to contribute to society or interact with the wider world. Pupils have too few opportunities to develop their creative skills. They are not adequately prepared for life in modern Britain."
A spokesperson from the senior leadership team said: "Post Covid, we have achieved 'good' for our Social Care report (as we are a boarding school) and inadequate for the Independent School Standards. We focused on the core issues during the pandemic such as Safeguarding, Health & Safety and Education.
"These areas were found as meeting standards and we have worked since the last inspection to maintain those standards and also target to meet the previously unmet standards in any future progress monitoring inspection. We strongly feel the recent inspection did not take into context the impact of the pandemic on aspects such as school trips and other personal development areas.
"It felt that the inspectors had been living in a parallel world which had not experienced the recent global pandemic. Another vital aspect of the context is that we are an independent school that is community funded through contributions and donations.
"All such organisations were highly impacted during the pandemic and therefore we are proud of our achievements through that difficult period and we look ahead to a better and stronger future."
Kirkby College, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
This secondary comprehensive has 425 pupils aged 11-to-16-years-old on its roll. The school was inspected on November 23-24 2021, and was rated 'inadequate' by inspectors in every area.
The report states: "Some pupils say that they feel unsafe because of other pupils’ behaviour around the school. Pupils told inspectors that they lack confidence in how leaders deal with bullying.
"There are many incidents of pupils using discriminatory, homophobic and transphobic language. Leaders have not ensured that all pupils learn that it is wrong to use prejudiced language and to express discriminatory views."
Speaking in May 2022, Mark Golden, headteacher, said: "We are aware of the challenges we face and we are doing what we can to rectify them, making sure our students get the best education possible. We are currently in the process of joining Outwood Grange Academies Trust, and we are working with members of the Outwood Family to get in place policies and structures that will give us the best opportunity to improve.
"This is a very exciting development for us at Kirkby College, and a major step forward. We believe that with the expertise within the Outwood Family, we will be well-placed to make quick improvements to the school, which can only be good news for our students and school community." Nottinghamshire Live has contacted the school for further comment..
Brierley Forest Primary & Nursery, Sutton-in-Ashfield
This primary school has 360 pupils aged three to 11 years old on its roll. It was rated 'inadequate' in 'quality of education', 'behaviour and attitudes' and 'leadership and management' following the inspection on November 2-3 2021.
The report states: "Pupils' behaviour is often poor; incidents of disruption and aggression are too common. "Pupils are potentially unsafe. The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Too many pupils are persistently absent, resulting in them having gaps in their knowledge."
The primary school and nursery has recently been taken over by an academy trust. The CEO of Transform Trust is confident the trust's track record can turn around its fortunes.
Transform Trust CEO Rebecca Meredith said: “We’re really looking forward to working with the staff team, parents, carers and the wider community in September. We have a vast amount of experience in helping schools on their improvement journeys and have already spent valuable time at Brierley this term, where we have been able to share best practice in terms of teaching and learning, leadership support and HR.
"Also, key staff members have visited our other schools that have been on similar journeys in preparation for next term, when we’re hoping it will formally become part of the Transform Trust family.”
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