'Unprofessional and inaccurate' -- Ofsted report delayed by Mansfield school's complaint

Samworth Church Academy, which has 1,041 pupils on its books, submitted the complaint to the education watchdog because of “concerns about the quality of the inspection and the conduct of the inspectors”.

The reasons were outlined in a letter to parents from Chris Moodie, chief executive of the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham Multi-Academy Trust, which runs Samworth.

Mr Moodie, himself a former school inspector, wrote: “I value the role that inspection plays in making things better for young people.

"However, I was saddened and dismayed to witness unprofessional and inaccurate comments that inspectors made, and some aspects of how they conducted themselves.

"For the first time, I felt compelled to complain in the hope that other schools do not have the same experience.”

He went on to say it was a “substantial and wide-ranging complaint”, and the Ofsted report had been delayed while it was investigated.

The report has now been published, with inspectors giving Samworth a rating of ‘Requires Improvement’, which is a repeat of the verdict from its previous inspection in 2019.

Principal Lisa McVeigh updated parents with a letter that read: “We lodged a complaint regarding the conduct and management of our Ofsted inspection.

"Only one aspect of our complaint was upheld by Ofsted. While disappointing, this is not surprising.

"There are some positive comments, particularly about personal development, which is extremely important to us. Inspectors also reported very positively on the sixth form.

"We recognise there is work to be done at the academy, and we are always looking to continuously improve what we do. Inspectors acknowledged that we are already working on the areas they identified for improvement.”

Mrs McVeigh said it was “more difficult to accept some of the comments that are overly generic”.

She wondered “how the inspection team took no account of the challenges facing schools and young people following the pandemic”.

But she promised Samworth will “continue to work towards achieving an ambitious and broad-ranging vision for our students”.

One of the main areas identified for improvement by Ofsted concerned “misconceptions or gaps” in pupils’ learning.

The report said: “Leaders should ensure teachers check that learning matches pupils’ needs and builds on their prior knowledge”.

Inspectors accepted that most pupils behave well, are polite and hold positive views about the school”.They were “tolerant of others and respect differences”.

However, Ofsted also found that some pupils “do not behave well in lessons and around the school” and often used bad language. The report urged staff to “apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently”.

Another criticism was that “a sizeable minority of disadvantaged pupils and SEND pupils do not attend school frequently enough”. The report suggested developing strategies to ensure that lessons are not missed.

On the positive side, the Ofsted inspectors praised Samworth for its “clear vision” on personal development, teaching skills that will help pupils in later life, including how to cook and eat healthily.

Sixth-form students were “well prepared for their next steps”, bullying was not a problem and safeguarding was effective

A spokesperson for Ofsted said: “We are unable to discuss individual complaints, but we do take them seriously and deal with them in line with our procedures.”