“The people who are responsible for this school have not ensured that it is a safe place for its pupils. Many pupils behave in an unruly and aggressive way, particularly during social times. Pupils say that there are frequent fights. This means that pupils are not physically safe.”
These are the conclusions of a report into East Manchester Academy on Grey Mare Lane by a team of OFSTED Inspectors who visited late last year and have deemed the school inadequate
The school caters for nearly a thousand pupils aged between 11 and 16.
Inspectors found Incidents of racism and homophobia were commonplace and concluded that the culture of the school is not kind or accepting of people’s differences.
“This means that many pupils do not feel happy, valued or safe. There are high levels of bullying, and most of these incidents are not dealt with well by staff.
This school is in a worse position now than at the time of the last inspection. Leaders, including trustees and governors, have not been able to make the school a safe place in which pupils can thrive and achieve well.
Among the other findings the curriculum in recent years has not enabled pupils to gain the knowledge and skills that they require to achieve highly. Attendance is poor while Pupils with SEND get a particularly raw deal.
“Often, their needs are not identified effectively. Even when they are, some leaders do not understand how to meet these needs to help pupils be successful. “
Andrew Mullen, Chair of The Education and Leadership Trust, said:
“Clearly it’s unacceptable for pupils to feel unsafe or to experience racism or homophobia in school or anywhere and we have taken immediate action to address these issues which are both serious and deeply concerning.
“We fully accept Ofsted’s findings and have brought in the necessary additional support and expertise to help drive the changes needed to ensure the academy is a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all pupils.
“Many of the findings had already been identified by the academy’s senior leadership team prior to the inspection and a range of measures have now been put in place to ensure rapid improvements across all areas of the school.
“We’re committed to bringing TEMA up to the good and outstanding level of the other two schools in the Trust and are already laying the foundations to place the academy on a strong and secure footing.
“We’ll continue to work with families, staff, and others at pace, so that every child at the school can be certain of receiving an excellent education and reaching their full potential.”
