GRAVESEND: Special measures school 'taken aback' by Ofsted report (From News Shopper)

GRAVESEND: Special measures school 'taken aback' by Ofsted report

9:00am Saturday 13th February 2010

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A SCHOOL placed in special measures has slammed an Ofsted report which found it to be performing inadequately.

St George’s Church of England School in Meadow Road, Gravesend was given the lowest possible rating by the school inspectorate for measuring how good the school was and how capable it was of making improvements.

In a letter sent to parents, the school said Ofsted had judged it unfairly and contradicted a SIAS report by the Rochester Diocese, which last month found the school to be good and improving.

Chairman of the school’s board of governors Joe King said in the letter: “The two outcomes are quite different and we feel that we have been judged harshly by Ofsted.

“While I cannot claim that everything at St George’s is perfect, the SIAS report shows us as a good and improving church school.

“The governors were completely taken aback by the Ofsted report.

“I am telling no tales out of school if I say that neither the diocese, nor the local authority were expecting such a report.”

The school experienced a difficult two years during which the previous headteacher left suddenly after her husband had died.

After Anne Southgate became the new headteacher in January last year, the school achieved its best ever results, which Mr King said was not given sufficient attention.

Kent County Council’s area education officer Simon Webb said: “This wasn’t what we were expecting.

“SIAS looked at slightly different areas to Ofsted.

“It looked at the quality of religious education provision and was not as comprehensive as a full Ofsted inspection.”

Mr Webb says St George’s was one of the first schools to be inspected by Ofsted under a new framework brought in last September, which focussed on vulnerable teachers and children.

He said: “It’s very disappointing from the teaching that was seen, they didn’t focus equally on the outstanding and good teaching. They spent most of their time with the vulnerable teachers.

“We don’t believe it gave enough credence to the developments that had happened because of the new headteacher and senior leadership.”

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