Displaying items by tag: OFSTED

The history of the Marlowe Academy Inspections is set out here but, in summary, the school failed its OFSTED in October 2010, being served with Notice to Improve. However, it failed to Improve, and sank to the lowest category, being placed in Special Measures in November 2011. By this time it had lost its headteacher and effectively handed over control to Academies Enterprise Group,  which put in an 'Intervention Team' to try and stall the calamity, but without success in the short time available to it. The school was featured in the Sunday Times and the Guardian at the end of last year, as described here.

The academy attempted to get the verdict overturned, without success, but managed to delay publication until 27th March, a wait of four months as distinct from the usual month that schools have to wait. One side effect of this was ......

The Marlowe Academy, in Ramsgate, currently a failing school, having been served with a 'Notice to Improve' by OFSTED in October, is evidently in further difficulties. Principal, Ian Johnson, left suddenly last summer, although he enjoyed a high profile as an unofficial spokesman for Academies, and had served as Acting Principal at the Spires academy in Canterbury - a matter of criticism in the Marlowe OFSTED Report because of his absence from his prime role. In May, there was a monitoring Inspection which found satisfactory progress from the 'Notice to Improve' but did not change the status. 

What was not made known at the time ............

The OFSTED decision to place Dover Road Primary School into Special Measures should be a matter of acute embarrassment to Kent County Council. I have recorded elsewhere my concerns about the shortage of places in North West Kent, especially urban Northfleet in Gravesham, expected for summer 2011. The problem in Northfleet was exacerbated by KCC's failure .........

Today, Michael Gove has announced that schools with 'Good' OFSTED Reports can apply to become Academies. Historically, Academies were failing schools that by changing to become Academies, by some alchemy suddenly become a good schools (or is it the resources that do it!). What then happens to failing academies? For today, a published OFSTED Report for the Marlow Academy, Ramsgate, serves it with a 'Notice to Improve' - that is to say, the Academy is failing!

 Updated May 2020

Coronavirus; There are a number of articles on this site exploring the implications of the pandemic on school applications and appeals. You will find them by putting 'Coronavirus' in the search engine on the top left hand corner of this page. This page contains outcomes of Ofsted Inspections carried out up until 4th February 2020, the last ones published before schools were closed. I estimate about another 10 will have been completed but results are waiting until schools are opened, which may not be until September. I think it most unlikely there will be any more this school year.  

Entries on this page include the OFSTED Grade for each Primary School updated twice a year, also recording change from previous Inspection result, together with some other relevant information below. It is worth using the search engine on the Home Page to pick up other references to individual schools.

You will find advice on Primary school Admissions and Appeals here. 

You can read the full Report on each Primary School at OFSTED. Each school is awarded a main Grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement (previously Satisfactory), and Inadequate (two sub categories - A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better - A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school). Each Report carries a brief description of the school before justifying its decision in more detail. If a school is in Special Measures or Serious Weaknesses, the results of further monitoring visits are noted.

A majority of the schools that have previously had a 'Good' or 'Outstanding' assessment are given a Short Inspection (known as Section 8). These are indicated by 'Good (S). These will be confirmed in their assessment grade. However for some of these schools, the Inspection Team may consider that there are concerns, or in the case of a Good school, grounds for raising the Grade and this can only be done by a full Section Five Grade. These are recorded for example as  'Outstanding (SC) or 'Good (SR). 

You will find an analysis of oversubscription and vacancies for  Gravesham Primary Places for September 2019 Allocations here, for 2018 here, for 2017 here, and for 2016 here.

You will find a commercial site providing a comprehensive analysis of  different 11 Plus exams, preparation and appeals at 11 Plus Exams.

Reports on Inspections between between September 2019 and July 2020  are in the first table, followed by other tables containing older ones.

(A) Indicates the school is an Academy (2017 onwards) 

* Put Copperfield in Search Engine for further information. Early allocation information has Copperfield with 42 LAAs and still 19 free places out of its 90. 

 *Copperfield Academy has had a dreadful record for as long as I have run this website, most recently covered here. You will find a positive Monitoring Report here.  

** Istead Rise has also had a dreadful history both as a KCC school and being run by Meopham Community Trust. Now run by Swale Academies Trust and Good for the first time. See Ofsted record below.

 Item on Copperfield Academy here

* Article on renaissance of Kings Farm here. 

Excerpt from Gravesham section of article on oversubscription and vacancies in Kent primary schools 2015: "Gravesend and Northfleet families have most difficulties across Kent in finding good schools for their children".

*Chantry: See article here. 

**Kings Farm: See article on Inspection Report here. Further article on Whitehill and Kings Farm here.

Information from Oversubscription Survey of Kent primary schools, for entry September 2014. 

Next up is probably Gravesham, and certainly the town where I have had most concerns expressed (Sevenoaks parents may be used to it!).  Quite simply, there are just two vacancies in the whole urban district of Gravesend and Northfleet, and 12 in the rural south at Vigo. Every other one of the 24 other schools is full. The two Catholic schools, St John’s in Gravesend (second in Kent), and St Joseph’s in Northfleet (last year’s most oversubscribed school) account for 86 first choices turned away. Here 129 children, 10% of the total applicants, were offered no school of their choice, five schools all of whom have had difficult histories, mopping up the large majority of these, headed up by Whitehill, with a remarkable 30 Local Authority Allocations out of its 90 places. No extra places created to tackle this issue, although I have been warning about it for some years.

 2012-13 OFSTED Reports 

Both Raynehust and Dover Road are being taken over by Reach2 to become Sponsored academies. 

Pre September 2012 Reports

Chantry Primary School working in tandem with Meopham Community Academy for a year from Jun 2011 under executive Head from Meopham.

Riverview Junior School: The notice to improve was issued solely because the schoool failed to complete satfety checks on staff, thus potlentially placing children at risk. This is part of the statutory safeguarding required, where failure to comply produces an automatic failure at an OFSTED Inspection. The Report states: "Were it not for the safeguarding weakness noted, this would be a good school with a number of outstanding features". The July 2011 Report confirms it is back to its previous status as a good school. 

Updated May 2020

Coronavirus; There are a number of articles on this site exploring the implications of the pandemic on school applications and appeals. You will find them by putting 'Coronavirus' in the search engine on the top left hand corner of this page. This page contains outcomes of Ofsted Inspections carried out up until 4th February 2020, the last ones published before schools were closed. I estimate about another 10 will have been completed but results are waiting until schools are opened, which may not be until September. I think it most unlikely there will be any more this school year.  

Entries on this page include the OFSTED Grade for each Primary School updated twice a year, also recording change from previous Inspection result, together with some other relevant information below. It is worth using the search engine on the Home Page to pick up other references to individual schools.

You will find advice on Primary school Admissions and Appeals here. 

You can read the full Report on each Primary School at OFSTED. Each school is awarded a main Grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement (previously Satisfactory), and Inadequate (two sub categories - A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better - A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school). Each Report carries a brief description of the school before justifying its decision in more detail. If a school is in Special Measures or Serious Weaknesses, the results of further monitoring visits are noted.

A majority of the schools that have previously had a 'Good' or 'Outstanding' assessment are given a Short Inspection (known as Section 8). These are indicated by 'Good (S). These will be confirmed in their assessment grade. However for some of these schools, the Inspection Team may consider that there are concerns, or in the case of a Good school, grounds for raising the Grade and this can only be done by a full Section Five Grade. These are recorded for example as  'Outstanding (SC) or 'Good (SR). 

You will find an analysis of oversubscription and vacancies for  Ashford Primary Places for September 2019 Admissions here, for 2018 here, for 2017 here, and for 2016 here.

You will find a commercial site providing a comprehensive analysis of  different 11 Plus exams, preparation and appeals at 11 Plus Exams.

Reports on Inspections between between September 2019 and 4th February 2020  are in the first table, followed by other tables containing older ones.

(A) Indicates the school is an Academy; (F) a Free School 

  * Brenzett up from Special Measures following academisation by Aquila, Canterbury Diocesan Trust

Excerpt from Ashford section of article on oversubscription in primary schools 2015: "One primary school has one vacancy. Other than that, the only school with vacancies is Furley Park, with 20 of its 90 places empty". 

You will find an article discussing Beaver Green here.  You will find Ashford Primary Academies here. 

Pre September 2012 Reports