A SECONDARY school in Cottingley has become the second in the district to be placed in special measures this week after a highly critical Ofsted inspection.

Samuel Lister Academy was judged inadequate in every category, with inspectors saying it was “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.”

The inspectors' report says “leaders lack the capacity to make rapid improvement s to the school”; that some leaders have an “over rosy” view of how well their departments are doing; that teaching is inadequate and fixed term exclusions were almost three times the national average.

It also highlights the school’s “heavy reliance on temporary teachers” to fill staffing gaps.

The school is run by the Bradford College Academy Trust (BCET) and has around 700 pupils.

The school has now announced it will commission a review of governors and partner with The Feversham Education Trust to improve the quality of teaching and middle leadership, and the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust to help improve behaviour in the school.

The report did say principal Bec Osborne “has a clear understanding of what the key priorities are.”

However, it also says pupils show “poor attitudes to learning” in many lessons and “a number of pupils say they do not enjoy coming to school due to poor behaviour and poor teaching.”

Earlier in the week Grange Technology College was placed in special measures after having been judged inadequate.

Principal of Samuel Lister Bec Osborne said: “Results in 2014 meant the Academy was the most improved school in Bradford but the results of 2015 have meant we have had to ‘rightly challenge under performance.’

“This challenge led to some staff moving on from the academy, and due to the nature of teacher recruitment it can take time to have new staff in post.

“The academy is fully staffed with permanent staff for September. Seven new members of staff have started since the inspection and more are joining in September. I am delighted with the quality of the appointments and confident we have a strong team to move the academy forward quickly.”

Councillor Imran Khan, the executive member for education on Bradford Council, said it was academies were not the "the panacea they were made out to be."

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A spokesman for BCET said: "We are absolutely committed to bringing about rapid improvements at the Academy after the very disappointing inspection report and wish to reassure all parties that we are already taking swift and effective action.

“Given that inspectors were concerned by a ‘heavy reliance on temporary teachers’ the academy will be fully staffed with qualified teachers employed by the Trust for September."

Councillor Imran Khan, executive for education on Bradford Council, said: "This is the second academy school in less than a week to to be put in special measures. It is clear that academies are by no means the panacea they were made out to be.

"The government really needs to consider whether it should be imposing this on all schools in Bradford.

"Samuel Lister is an academy, not under council control, but , but we urge them to work closely with the Regional Schools Commissioner, parents and governors to put robust plans in place so that the school can make rapid improvement and deliver the education that students deserve.”