Schools across England continue to struggle to return to normal after nearly two years of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are currently 376 secondary schools that have been assessed by Ofsted as Inadequate, in Special Measures or with a serious weakness – this represents just over 10% of a total of 3,473 schools across the country.
The schools are graded on a sliding scale from excellent at the top, to good, needs improvement, and ending with unsatisfactory at the bottom.
Once a school is deemed deficient, it may be assessed as having serious deficiencies or even placed under special measures.
Pupils at some of the facilities inspected said they did not feel safe going to school, while others did not provide adequate support for students with special needs. Violence and bullying was also a recurring theme.
Traditionally, schools deemed excellent had escaped routine inspections, but concerns over a deviation in standards led Ofsted to resume their inspections.
In November last year, hundreds of previously ‘excellent’ institutions were downgraded after inspections, with only 17 percent maintaining their top score.
The average time these schools missed a full assessment was more than 13 years.
The worrying decline in standards comes at a worrying time for parents, as students in senior year of primary school will find out by Easter whether they have been given their first choice of secondary school.
Using up-to-date Ofsted data, the schools currently listed by the government as Inadequate, in Special Measures or with a serious weakness are included in the map below.
High schools are struggling to recruit teachers and resume normal services following the disruption caused by Covid-19, leading to a drop in standards (photo of models)
Last year, Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire was the subject of a scathing Ofsted report about repeated failures to check on his pupils after a rowdy end of year party where a Year 13 pupil collapsed after drinking too much alcohol.
A subsequent inspection in October 2022 found that the school had ‘much improved’ and was no longer rated as unsatisfactory.
Some school leaders even have reported that they could be forced to leave teacher posts open as they tackle the energy price crisis.
According to Ofsted, 2022 continued to be a challenging year in the education sector, especially with the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic.
Bullwell Academy in Nottingham is one of the schools placed under special measures following an inspection in October 2022.
Inspectors found problems with the quality of education and the level of supervision. They also expressed concern about the quality of education for children with special needs.
They also had problems with the level of student absenteeism.
In a letter to parents in December, the school said it had recruited more staff to address issues raised during the earlier inspection. They said further evaluation would improve their rating.
Among those on the list is Bulwell Academy in Nottingham. After an inspection in October 2022, it has been placed under special measures
The John Warner School in Hoddesdon also received special measures in October 2022
Idsall School in Shropshire was placed under special measures in September 2022
In September 2022 Ofsted inspected Idsall School in Shropshire. Inspectors reported: ‘Too many students do not feel safe at Idsall School. Some say they regularly experience sexual harassment or discriminatory behavior from their peers. They don’t trust teachers to deal with their concerns, so they don’t report the incidents that occur.’
At John Warner School, Hoddesdon, inspectors heard: ‘Most pupils have high aspirations for themselves and value their education. However, many are disappointed by the unacceptable experience they receive at school. They are particularly frustrated by frequent learning interruptions and the poor behavior of a significant minority of students. Sixth grade students have similar frustrations about how bad behavior affects their school experience.”
Inspectors from Oasis Academy on the Isle of Sheppey heard students express their frustration at their experience.
According to the damning report: ‘Too many students feel unsafe at this school. Some students told us that they are “tired” of being shoved in hallways and hurt or called names. Leaders and staff are doing too little to challenge the foul, homophobic, racist and sexist language prevalent at both locations. Students have little confidence in leaders’ ability to address any concerns about bullying or discrimination. Pupils do not feel they have a voice at this school. Their concerns are not being listened to.’
Previously, Ofsted highlighted the issues facing the education system across the country. The watchdog said: ‘2023 is already shaping up to be another busy year for schools and further education (FE) and skills providers. While none of us can predict exactly what lies ahead, our annual report, released late last year, identified several challenges that will no doubt continue this year.
“We reported on the ongoing issues of the pandemic, including presence. Specifically, we pointed to the increasing use of part-time schedules by schools. Schools may be using it with the best of intentions, but students can all too easily disappear from view because they’ve been away from school for too long, and it’s too often used to circumvent legal requirements around excluding a student.’
Ofsted also said it was concerned about students attending non-registered schools and students with special needs.
A recruitment and retention crisis in schools has also been attributed to falling standards, with schools struggling to find and retain teachers.
Traditionally, schools deemed excellent had escaped routine inspections, but concerns over a deviation in standards led Ofsted to resume their inspections.
In November last year, hundreds of previously ‘excellent’ institutions were downgraded after inspections, with only 17 percent maintaining their top score.
The average time these schools missed a full assessment was more than 13 years.
The drop in standards comes at a worrying time for parents, as senior year students will find out over Easter whether they’ve been given their first choice of high school.
However, the most shocking drop in standards reported by Ofsted occurred in schools previously rated Outstanding.
In their annual report, they wrote: ‘Perhaps our most reported findings from 2022 were those of our inspections of previously exempt schools of excellence. The exemption was lifted during the pandemic, but we have now been able to inspect 370 previously exempt schools. We found that 83 percent were no longer outstanding.’
However, some of the schools surveyed had not been inspected for an average of 13 years. They have set a deadline of July 2025 to re-inspect the rest of the Outstanding Schools.
The figures also showed that 88 percent of publicly funded schools were rated Excellent or Good, an increase of two percent from 2021.
The National Education Union has branded the Ofsted inspection scheme unfair and is campaigning to scrap the watchdog.
The NEU said its members were forced to work extra hours without pay to prepare for Ofsted inspections.
Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey was placed under special measures in June 2022
In the guidelines for teachers, the union said: ‘The new Ofsted inspection framework is putting increasing pressure on members, particularly primary school leaders. It is clear that trade leaders have to take on responsibilities for which they are not given the necessary contactless time and for which they are often not paid and have no contractual responsibility. In many cases, this is due to problems with the funding of schools and the recruitment of staff, which the new framework does not take into account.’
Earlier this week, MPs were told that a crisis is imminent at childminders and daycare centers, with many providers on the verge of closing their doors.
Childcare provider leaders told the Commons Education Select Committee that families are already “losing out” on childcare places because of early childhood facility closures – and warned that the situation could get worse in coming years due to funding pressures.
Changes in working patterns due to the pandemic – as well as a desire to keep costs down – have led parents to look for ‘more flexible options’ for childcare, which has affected some early childhood settings, MPs were told.
Gemma Rolstone, director of quality at Puffins Childcare in Devon, told MPs: ‘I think a lot of those really important small providers who give an awful lot more than the basics will close and be filled in other ways that don’t necessarily have to be. be the best for children and families.”
The government’s proposals to relax childcare staffing ratios in England’s day care centers would see even more staff leaving the profession as it would become ‘crowd control and nothing more’, Ms Rolstone warned.