Castles Education: Ofsted Report May 2023

Executive Headteacher’s Response

We are obviously disappointed with our recent Ofsted report, but feel it was a likely, if not inevitable, consequence of our current transformation. We are encouraged however that, as the report explicitly acknowledges, the issues it raises are historical and we are already taking strong action to address them. The report clearly states that our self-evaluation is accurate and that we have fully identified what we need to do in our School Improvement Plan. It also states that the significant changes and restructuring of the senior team which were put in place in early 2023 are already beginning to have real impact.

Our self-evaluation process was honest and challenging. It led to a complete review and transformation of our approach to SEMH education. Our newly introduced school culture, which embodies nurture, trauma-informed practice, restorative practice, and personalised learning pathways has led to immediate improvements in behaviour, which are recognised in the report. The key points remaining relate in particular to our curriculum and teaching, both areas on which we have been focusing, but the time of the inspection was too early (effectively only two months into our improvement process) for our changes to have had material effect.

We are very confident that, due to the changes we have already made to our senior leadership, development of a middle leadership structure and the commitment of our staff, we have the capacity to improve rapidly. We have a clear vision of what our school should look like to give our pupils the best possible education and we will work unstintingly to turn that vision into reality.

As we have seen in the news recently, one-word judgements do not reflect the realities of school life. While we accept the findings of the inspection, we believe the school is a far better place for education then this rating suggests. As anyone who has visited us recently has seen, we provide a safe and caring environment, where good learning takes place every day and all our Year 11 leavers go on to further education, employment or training.

Nevertheless, we are acutely aware of the challenge ahead and what we need to do to improve quickly to return to our previously high standing in the shortest possible time.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss this further, please contact us.