'Forge Valley have failed ofsted inspection

[Binster]

The City School on Stradbroke Road received a similar inspection report in October 2012. The City school had it's governing body sacked and the school is now being converted to an academy under the Outwood Grange trust of schools.

 

This is a pattern repeated in non-academy schools across the land.

 

Basically, under section 62 of the Education and Inspections Act (2006) any school deemed inadequate can be forceably converted to academy status, bypassing governor and local authority intervention entirely.

 

It is Michael Gove using OFSTED to convert 'working class' schools to academy status. I wouldn't take it too personally - it's just back-door politics.

 

PS. The head of Outwood Grange Academy group gets paid £183,000 in salary and over a million pounds a year from his school 'consultancy' business. He is a golfing partner with the head of OFSTED.

 

At the same time teachers are striking because their pensions are being trashed and they are likely to have to be teaching children when they are 68 years old...

[Halibut]

I am absolutely gutted by this. My child attends Forge Valley - really enjoys it, has lots of good friends, had loads of extra curricular opportunities and they say that she is making good progress.

 

Have been behind the school since the merger was first proposed and been really involved in the school in different ways since then. Always found individual teachers to be enthusiastic and passionate about their subject when we met them at parent evenings.

 

Don't be, for all the reasons you've just given. The difference between outstanding and special measures is not as large as some people seem to think - and if your child is one of the kids that want to learn and knows how to behave properly they'll do well anyway.

[BoroB]

Heads should roll, starting with the headteacher.

[pottedplant]

Don't be, for all the reasons you've just given. The difference between outstanding and special measures is not as large as some people seem to think - and if your child is one of the kids that want to learn and knows how to behave properly they'll do well anyway.

 

I agree entirely Halibut, Even schools judged as outstanding (by Ofsted) often still have areas of concern.

[loopylulu]

The sixform is a shambles, the school is overcrowded, & all of us that were against losin wisewood have been proven right.

 

Here here!

 

But, as always, nobody listens until it is too late!

 

I remember saying when fighting the merger 'it isnt the shiny new building that makes a good school, its whats going on inside' - and also 'if its not broken dont try to fix it' (meaning Wisewood Secondary).

 

Now look at what has happened - who could have predicted that?

 

---------- Post added 18-05-2013 at 13:43 ----------

 

'Special measures is a status applied by Ofsted and Estyn, the schools inspection agencies, to schools in England and Wales, respectively, when it considers that they fail to supply an acceptable level of education and appear to lack the leadership capacity necessary to secure improvements.[1][2] A school subject to special measures will have regular short-notice Ofsted inspections to monitor its improvement. The senior managers and teaching staff can be dismissed and the school governors replaced by an appointed executive committee. If poor performance continues the school may be closed.'

 

Above quoted from Wikipedia - I have highlighted the sections in bold.

 

So Ofsted do not believe that the current leadership can bring about the changes?

 

Where do all the children go if the school does not improve?

[gfm1970]

I was told by a teacher at forge not to send my child there...best advice iv ever had.

[BoroB]

I was told by a teacher at forge not to send my child there...best advice iv ever had.

 

My eldest had considered stopping on there in the sixth form but was advised by a teacher not to. Says it all.

 

Unfortunately what was predicted at the the time, when two half decent smaller schools were closed (due to falling numbers that have never materialised), has occurred.

[loopylulu]

Unfortunately what was predicted at the the time, when two half decent smaller schools were closed (due to falling numbers that have never materialised), has occurred.

 

At the time SOCS were fighting the merger, all the facts were given e.g. no falling pupil numbers etc.... but the powers that be thought they had it right due to the numbers of pupils in the area etc...... we worked with the same figures they had and worked out that the falling numbers would not happen.

 

We predicted the failure of this school all along - what a situation for our children to now be in - Wisewood and Myers should never have been closed. This would not be happening now!

 

What happened to taking the best from each school and having it at Forge Valley (what the powers that be said at the time)? This cant have happened.

[Lucy-Lastic]

The numbers thing seems absolutely stupid now considering the area has had to increase the amount of primary school places and they are building homes next door :S I am more than disappointed really about this and feel that the senior leadership team there have not been strong enough in making sure this all worked

[showers]

;-0 ;-0 ;-0

Edited March 3, 2015 by showers