This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/apr/24/greenwich-free-school-ofsted-inspection
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Greenwich free school requires improvement, say Ofsted inspectors | Greenwich free school requires improvement, say Ofsted inspectors |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A high-profile member of the government's flagship free schools movement, the Greenwich free school in southeast London, has been labelled by Ofsted as requiring improvement after its first inspection. | |
| The grade – Ofsted's second lowest of four – is a mild embarrassment for some of the secondary school's prominent supporters, including the education secretary, Michael Gove, and for its chair of governors, Jonathan Simons, the head of education at the thinktank Policy Exchange and a co-founder of the school. | The grade – Ofsted's second lowest of four – is a mild embarrassment for some of the secondary school's prominent supporters, including the education secretary, Michael Gove, and for its chair of governors, Jonathan Simons, the head of education at the thinktank Policy Exchange and a co-founder of the school. |
| Simons was an author of a Policy Exchange report last month that criticised Ofsted and called for an overhaul of its inspection regime to allow it to "focus more of its resources on struggling schools". | Simons was an author of a Policy Exchange report last month that criticised Ofsted and called for an overhaul of its inspection regime to allow it to "focus more of its resources on struggling schools". |
| The school's other co-founder and vice-chair of governors, Tom Shinner, is Gove's senior policy adviser and was recently appointed as the Department for Education's director of strategy and performance. | The school's other co-founder and vice-chair of governors, Tom Shinner, is Gove's senior policy adviser and was recently appointed as the Department for Education's director of strategy and performance. |
| Last year Gove praised Greenwich in a speech to the National College for Teaching and Leadership. He said the free schools policy allowed "a group of teachers determined to prove that every child can succeed if given a classical liberal education – like the team behind Greenwich free school". | Last year Gove praised Greenwich in a speech to the National College for Teaching and Leadership. He said the free schools policy allowed "a group of teachers determined to prove that every child can succeed if given a classical liberal education – like the team behind Greenwich free school". |
| Ofsted inspectors rated the quality of teaching at Greenwich as requiring improvement. "Teachers do not ensure that students complete tasks to a high enough standard. Some work is untidy and written work is often too short or incomplete," their report said. | Ofsted inspectors rated the quality of teaching at Greenwich as requiring improvement. "Teachers do not ensure that students complete tasks to a high enough standard. Some work is untidy and written work is often too short or incomplete," their report said. |
| The inspectors said too few students made good progress. "Lower-ability students fall behind in some lessons because the teaching does not cater for their needs. In addition, disabled students and those with special educational needs are not achieving the standards they are capable of in English and mathematics. In some lessons, teachers do not set challenging enough work for the most able students." | The inspectors said too few students made good progress. "Lower-ability students fall behind in some lessons because the teaching does not cater for their needs. In addition, disabled students and those with special educational needs are not achieving the standards they are capable of in English and mathematics. In some lessons, teachers do not set challenging enough work for the most able students." |
| The inspectors gave better ratings for the behaviour and safety of pupils, saying the curriculum was balanced, pupils were polite and that provision for moral and social development was good. | The inspectors gave better ratings for the behaviour and safety of pupils, saying the curriculum was balanced, pupils were polite and that provision for moral and social development was good. |
| "In the four terms since the school opened, governors have set ambitious goals for the school. They have coped well with changes of headteacher and a delayed building programme," the inspectors said. | "In the four terms since the school opened, governors have set ambitious goals for the school. They have coped well with changes of headteacher and a delayed building programme," the inspectors said. |
| The school's governors said: "We're obviously disappointed in the overall conclusion the inspectors drew from our first year's internal data – and were surprised by how markedly it differed from the various feedback GFS has otherwise received from parents and visiting educationalists. | The school's governors said: "We're obviously disappointed in the overall conclusion the inspectors drew from our first year's internal data – and were surprised by how markedly it differed from the various feedback GFS has otherwise received from parents and visiting educationalists. |
| "Nevertheless, the senior leadership team and governing body take the inspectors' views – like all feedback – very seriously and GFS's new headteacher, who was appointed shortly before the inspection to start work later this term, will be overseeing GFS's continued progress and response to the inspectors' findings." | "Nevertheless, the senior leadership team and governing body take the inspectors' views – like all feedback – very seriously and GFS's new headteacher, who was appointed shortly before the inspection to start work later this term, will be overseeing GFS's continued progress and response to the inspectors' findings." |
| The school opened in September 2012. Its first headteacher left after a prolonged absence late last year, and a newly appointed replacement, Oliver Knight, a veteran of the successful Ark academy chain, starts in June. | The school opened in September 2012. Its first headteacher left after a prolonged absence late last year, and a newly appointed replacement, Oliver Knight, a veteran of the successful Ark academy chain, starts in June. |
| Around 30% of the 2,300 secondary schools in England inspected by Ofsted since the start of 2012 have been rated as "requires improvement", and 10% have been rated as inadequate. | |