MORE details have been revealed about why a Bradford school has been placed in special measures by education watchdog Ofsted.

It emerged last week that Hanson Academy in Swain House had been told by Ofsted it needed to improve standards in attainment, attendance and behaviour as well as the leadership of the school, following an inspection in February.

Now, the full report has been made public, and inspectors found that: the school cannot guarantee students' safety and students do not feel safe, including from bullying; behaviour is poor, with swearing and misbehaviour frequent; attendance is low; students' attainment by the end of Year 11 is well below average; disadvantaged students underachieve and are often absent; many staff changes, including the use of temp staff, have impacted negatively on teaching; students' basic skills are weak and they are ill-prepared for their future; and the ability of the school to improve is weak and too often staff fail to challenge this.

The fact that the school had been judged as inadequate was revealed ahead of the report's publication in a letter seen by the Telegraph & Argus, seeking to assure parents and carers "how seriously" the findings were being treated.

In it the school outlined a "post-Ofsted action plan" that is already under way in efforts to transform the school, including new additions to its leadership team.

The report states: "The school's arrangements for safeguarding students do not meet statutory requirements and are a serious cause for concern.

"Not all staff are trained appropriately in safeguarding. Child protection procedures and systems are not fit for purpose. Leaders, along with governors, have failed to ensure that students are kept safe in the main school from bullying and misbehaviour. As a result, students do not feel safe."

It continues: "The school's effectiveness has significantly declines. In Key Stages three and four, the quality of teaching is now inadequate and so students underachieve. Students' misbehaviour, low attendance, and poor punctuality continue to hamper their achievement and are not tackled well enough."

"The leadership of teaching weak. Over time, leaders have failed to ensure that the quality of teaching is good enough. Their ability to improve teaching continues to be hampered by the large number of staff changes and the use of temporary staff," it adds.

The behaviour of pupils is "poorly managed", and there are "too many students who are regularly absent from school and misbehave in lessons and around school".

The school, which has 1,714 pupils, was told it required improvement in every category at its previous Ofsted inspection in 2013.

It also caused widespread controversy in November last year when head teacher Elizabeth Churton ordered that 250 pupils were turned away across three days for violating the school’s dress code.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s strategic director of children’s services, said today: "We are working closely with Hanson School because it is imperative that it improves at a rapid rate.

"Crucially the school has a robust new safeguarding policy, as clearly any concerns in this area are wholly unacceptable. The safety and wellbeing of young people in our district is a top priority.

"As part of our support we have made a significant investment to strengthen the school's leadership team, with strong school-to-school support from Guiseley in Leeds and Oakbank in Keighley.

"We will continue to work closely with the school so that it drives forward education improvements for all pupils, whatever their individual needs, without delay.”