2 days Ago By [email protected] (Mirek Gosney)
A group of parents are calling for a change in leadership after a Newbury school was deemed ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. John Rankin Junior School, which currently enrols 348 pupils, was inspected on October 22 and November 7. The regulator’s report determined the school still “requires significant improvement” despite the positive changes it has made to personal development and pupil behaviour.
It claimed that “pupils do not receive an acceptable standard of education” and added that a weak curriculum, a lack of governor oversight and a high staff turnover, including in many leadership roles, has slowed the pace of change since the school’s previous inspection in May 2019. Parents also complained about the lack of communication and quality of education their children receive at a school meeting on Tuesday, December 17. An online petition was started a day later to replace chair of governors David Marsh and headteacher Flora Coope r, who initially refused to grant Ofsted entry into the John Rankin Schools in protest, after the death of a fellow primary school headteacher last year.
Some parents, who wish to remain anonymous, shared their concerns with newburytoday . One said: “I've just seen a downward trend in terms of the level of the education they're getting. “It's coming to the stage where I've got to find a tutor to help my children get to where they should be in their education.
” Another added: “It's got markedly worse in the last couple of years. “There's just a feeling when you've complained, you're just not being listened to.” While another said: “It’s a very different school now.
It feels a little bit like we're living through an experiment. I can't see it getting any better.” “I can't think of one reason why I want my children to go to this school anymore,” another said.
“It's just really sad because it used to be such a brilliant school , and I don’t know how in two years it could get that bad.” Chair of governors David Marsh agreed the criticisms the report raised were fair and assured newburytoday they were being addressed. He said: “The school is aware of those issues and is dealing with them.
“Ofsted didn't think we were dealing with them quickly enough, which we accept, and now we are. “It's a happy school, and that hasn't changed because of one Ofsted report. “In the short time since that inspection, there's been things put in place to very quickly turn those areas round, and I think the picture will look very different next term.
” He continued: “Some of [the problems] were to do with staff leaving or staff illness. We had more than average levels of sickness in the last school year. And it was very unfortunate the way it was concentrated, because it tended to affect Year Six.
“Flora worked really hard to cover for the teachers who weren't there in Year Six, including teaching herself. “Everything was done that could be done. But in the end, the SATs results were poor.
No one's denying that. “The SATs results next summer are going to be very good.” Mr Marsh further explained that new staff had been recruited and that extra teaching will be applied to address the poorest performing areas.
He added that more parents meetings and an improved school website are also on the cards. But he disagreed the school has been in a “steady decline” and claimed Ms Cooper has the full backing of Ofsted, the board of governors and the local education authority. He said: “It’s absolutely not the case that there's been a steady decline in either of the schools since Flora arrived.
“I think whoever started that [petition] really needs to have a serious think about naming a teacher in a petition that can be signed by anyone in the world. “I think if you consider what has happened in the past at schools that have been involved in Ofsted inspections, and in some cases tragedy has happened, I think it’s not right at all to say we want this headteacher to be sacked.” Ms Cooper has been approached for comment.
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