By Gavin Mackintosh-
St Anthony discovery school from Cinderford,in Gloucestershire, has virtually wasted its £9 million government investment, following news that the discovery School is to be closed down because of inadequate teaching, safeguarding and pupil recruitment.
Teachers, parents of pupils, and pupils from ST.Anthony’s school were informed that the school in Newcastle, will be permanently closed by the end of August. The government is to withdraw funding for the specialist STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) school ahead of its second-ever Ofsted report. The investment into the school was aimed at developing its pupils, and turning them to successful men and women of the future.
The former Catholic school was put under special measures following damning Ofsted reports, and the appointment of new head teacher Lorna Middleton last September has done nothing to change the opinion of the UK government about the school.
Staff from the school insist the school have made rapid progress since the last damning Ofsted report, but request by The Eye Of Media.Com to examine school books of their pupils and interview them in the presence of an adult teacher, were declined.
UPGRADE
A £750,000 upgrade completed at St Anthony school just before Easter has disappointingly made no difference. A good question is why the massive upgrade did not save the school from closure. Any progress made st.Anthony school since then was considered insufficient, leaving the staff, pupils, and parents in shame. It is embarrassing for the school, they failed to improve the education standards of their pupils.
It brings the total number of mainstream schools to have closed since 2010 to 11. Other schools closed down for its inadequacy include: The Durham Free School, Stockport Technical School and the Dawes Lane Academy closed in 2015. St Michael’s Catholic Secondary School in Cornwall closed in 2016, and Southwark Free School, Atherton Community School and Bolton Wanderers Free School all closed last summer.
Opened in 2014, St.Anthony’s school was supposed to be a specialist school school that would bring hope to its pupils. optimistic of specialising in engineering and technological subjects and working closely with industry. However, Ofsted inspectors in July 2017 lambasted the school for its “narrow and unbalanced” curriculum which was “failing to meet pupils’ needs”.
Many of the pupils spoken to by The Eye Of Media.Com during a 2017 research said they learnt very little from teaching in the school, a high percentage of pupils describing their school and lessons as ”boring”.
In March this year, The Discovery School made news for the wrong reasons. Concerns were raised about its safeguarding arrangements, after a child was left behind in London on a school trip. A press statement from the school to The Eye Of Media.Com read:
“We realise this will be upsetting for pupils and parents – and for staff who will be made redundant – however we cannot allow the situation to continue and believe that in the long term this will be for the best,” a spokesperson said.
“It is very early days and in the next few weeks there will be a lot of activity to ensure that the process of closure, and finding new schools for pupils is as straight-forward as possible. We will offer full support to those families affected.”
The many closures reveal the British government’s determination to only continue to fund schools that make progress, and enhance the education of its pupils. Education standards have generally improved in many state primary and secondary schools under Theresa May’s government, but there are still very many inadequate schools.
Teachers of such schools appear to lack the expertise to improve the education standards of their pupils, and the behavioural problem of pupils in such schools are an added problem. It is a wonder why some of the huge investment in the school hasn’t been used to improve teaching methods and train the school to substantially improve the behaviour of their pupils.
PRESSURE
Wide closures of inadequate schools in the U.K will put pressure on other inadequate schools to quickly raise their standards and avoid similar closures. Theresa May’s government can be criticised for many things, but her government has been working hard and successfully to a large degree, to raise the standard of education.
Exams in primary and secondary schools have been made tougher, forcing serious parents and teachers to adjust to those standards. Its the end of the road for St Anthony school, but it is important for lessons to be learnt from inadequate schools like these