‘We have delivered positive outcomes for our students’

Les Voies School headteacher Jon Furley said he wanted to reassure the school community that the school would continue to put the students at the centre of everything the school did.

‘As part of our continued school development work, we recognise there is lots for us to do and as headteacher I am clear of my responsibility to drive school improvement,’ he said.

‘As the leader of this school, I do however need to state that our school achieves a great deal, including excellent exam results, and we deliver positive outcomes for children and young people that have significant barriers to learning.’

The school was inspected in June, just before the end of the summer term, with its final report delivered last week.

The inspectors acknowledged that Les Voies supports students who have often had very challenging education experiences prior to attending the school, it found that safeguarding was effective, the school provides opportunities for students to develop beyond the academic curriculum and staff understand the social, emotional and mental health [SEMH] needs of students.

However, Ofsted said the curriculum lacks ambition, behaviour around the school was poor, with students not responding well to staff attempts to address it, and the development of students’ reading and maths skills was not given sufficient importance.

Director of education Nick Hynes said any report containing inadequate judgements was a source of concern.

‘In the case of Les Voies, it is a special school catering for young people with social, emotional and mental health needs and naturally presents additional challenges for staff working hard to support those needs while ensuring educational outcomes are the best they can be for all students,’ he said.

‘The report acknowledges those challenges – largely around behaviour – but also recognises how committed staff are to meeting the SEMH needs of students. I know how disappointed Jon and his staff are, as they have built a very supportive network with the parents and carers of their students and believe the school is making a positive contribution to their lives in many cases.

‘Nevertheless, we have a framework of external independent inspection so that we can be judged on our effectiveness and focus on continual improvement.

‘Therefore, we take the findings very seriously and are already acting quickly with the school to ensure we address the areas for development prior to Ofsted returning for a monitoring visit within the next 18 months.’