The Department for Education has threatened to withdraw funding from a school that was considered the city's 'best'. It comes after the school received an 'inadequate' Ofsted rating in its first inspection in twelve years.
Ofsted inspectors cited bullying, quality of education, the sixth-form and personal development of pupils at Montpelier High School as areas that need improvement. The inspection, which Bristol Live reported on last month, also ruled that the leadership and management at the school, run by the controversial Venturers Trust, as inadequate.
The Department for Education has now sent a 'termination warning notice' to the Venturers Trust, which threatens to withdraw the school's funding. Such letters can be sent in regard of inadequate performance in a number of areas such as safeguarding, governance or financial management.
Read more: The 'best school in Bristol' gets inadequate Ofsted rating
The letter, published on the gov.uk website, and written by Regional Schools Commissioner, Hannah Woodhouse, said: "I received an Ofsted notification dated 7 June 2022 confirming that Montpelier High School was judged to be inadequate and has serious weaknesses. For the reasons set out below, I now consider it necessary to issue this Termination Warning Notice:
• The arrangements for safeguarding have been found not to be effective. There is not a strong enough oversight of safeguarding issues, compounded by weaknesses in systems and record keeping. In addition, there are inconsistencies in the way that leaders follow statutory guidance when handling allegations about staff. Leaders do not ensure that every member of staff has essential safeguarding training.
• Some pupils say that they are bullied frequently at school. These pupils do not believe that their concerns will be acted on. Pupils have stated that they do not have a trusted adult to which they can report concerns.
• The quality of education is not good enough. The curriculum in some subjects is not yet planned so that pupils learn what they need to reach ambitious goals. This limits the range of knowledge that pupils, including students in the sixth form, can learn. The curriculum does not prioritise early reading sufficiently.
• Teachers do not use assessment effectively. At times, pupils are given work that does not match their needs. In particular, the content chosen can lack ambition and be too easy.
• Some pupils are not able to read accurately when they arrive at the school. Leaders do not use assessment precisely enough to identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge. They do not provide a phonics curriculum where needed.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have mixed experiences. In some subjects, they receive the support they need to learn the curriculum successfully. Where pupils with SEND are less well supported, it is because staff do not understand their needs well enough."
The DfE have given Venturers Trust until Friday (July 15) to make any representations on the warning to terminate funding. It has asked for evidence to show that the trust is making "significant improvements".
The Venturers Trust, which is the multi-academy trust (MAT) responsible for Montpelier High School, has come into question over recent years. The trust is sponsored by both the University of Bristol and the Society of Merchant Venturers.
There is fierce debate surrounding whether the controversial Society for Merchant Venturers should be responsible for pupils across Bristol. With its ties to Edward Colston and the slave trade, many are questioning the powers the Trust should have.
Montpelier School was previously named Colston's Girls' School, and changed its name in November 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Students used to celebrate Edward Colston, a Bristol slave trader's, birthday until recently.
David Watson OBE, the CEO of Venturers Trust, told Bristol Live: "In line with standard procedure following an Ofsted inspection rating of Inadequate, the members and trustees of Venturers Trust have received a termination warning notice, in respect of Montpelier High School, from the Regional Schools Commissioner. We strongly believe that Venturers Trust has both the capacity and expertise to support the school on its journey to deliver rapid improvement in all areas identified by the Ofsted inspector.
"We are writing to the Regional Schools Commissioner to provide evidence of the extensive work already under way to significantly improve the school, with particular emphasis on safeguarding, leadership, governance, staff training and curriculum development. We continue to work very closely with our board of trustees and sponsors alongside the school’s senior leaders and governors, taking a rigorous and systematic approach to ensure that the right level of support and challenge is provided and that everyone in the school feels safe.
"We are also listening carefully to staff, students, parents and carers as we develop and implement the future strategy for Montpelier High School, all of whom share our determination to make the school an excellent place to learn and work once again. I am confident that we are putting in place all the components necessary to rapidly improve the school and to ensure that every student can thrive, not just academically, but in every aspect of school life.”
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