A Hereford secondary school has been rated as ‘inadequate’ following a recent Ofsted inspection.
The inspection, which took place on 2nd February 2022 at Whitecross Hereford, highlighted a number of improvements that are required urgently.
The Ofsted inspectors commented:
“There are serious omissions in safer recruitment practices at the school. Trust and school leaders have not assured themselves that all staff, governors and visiting staff have had the appropriate pre-employment or Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Leaders are not aware of all their statutory responsibilities relating to DBS and pre-employment checks and so do not recognise the importance of conducting them. Inspectors found no evidence that these omissions had adversely affected pupils, but it does put pupils at the risk of potential harm.
“Leaders have robust systems in place to safeguard pupils who are at risk. Leaders know their pupils well and are tenacious in securing the help that they need.”
The Ofsted report continues by saying:
“The numbers of suspensions and permanent exclusions are high, and leaders have not taken action to reduce them. This means that some pupils miss too much learning. Leaders should evaluate the effectiveness of their systems to manage and improve behaviour and amend them as needed in order to reduce the number of suspensions and exclusions in the school.”
There are plenty of positive comments in the report however. One being that ‘Staff have high expectations of pupils. Most pupils live up to the school’s motto of ‘excellence for all, excellence from all’, and they do well. This is especially the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. Staff intervene effectively if it does occur. A group of pupils, called ‘I Am’, promote diversity and equality. As a result of their work, the school supports ‘period poverty’. There is a wide selection of extra curricular opportunities for pupils. Pupils enjoy a range of sporting activities and regularly compete in competitions and tournaments. Pupils can take part in different clubs, including a science and debating club. Leaders have introduced more clubs
this year, and pupils welcome these opportunities.’
You can view the full report by visiting – Ofsted | Whitecross Hereford
