AN academy trust has said it will “re-double” efforts to improve a secondary school after inspectors said not enough was being done to pull it out of special measures.

In summer Samuel Lister Academy in Cottingley was judged inadequate in every category by Ofsted inspectors, who said it was “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education” and placed it in special measures.

They made a return visit to the school, run by Bradford College Education Trust, last month, and have just released their findings.

A letter from Ofsted to school head Bec Osbourne said: “Leaders have laid what they feel are firm structural and strategic foundations, which they believe will rapidly improve the school’s effectiveness going forward.

“But, given the time that has already elapsed and the maximum time remaining until the school will be re-inspected, there is insufficient evidence of demonstrable impact towards the removal of special measures.

“As a matter of urgency, leaders must significantly increase their impact if they are to stand any chance of eradicating the major inadequacies and inconsistencies in provision and outcomes in the school within required timescales.

“Inspectors saw some highly effective teaching which was having a good impact. However, this was in the minority.

“Current levels of exclusions, isolations and detentions are extremely high.

“The status quo remains unacceptable and needs to improve as a matter of urgency.

“When left unsupervised, pupils can be boorish on corridors. Inspectors also observed bullying.

“The school’s improvement plan is ambitious, and is based on the school’s effectiveness being judged to be good overall by the time of the fourth monitoring visit. This does not appear realistic at this stage, given the modest signs of improvement currently apparent.”

The report reveals that the school is working with Feversham College to improve leadership and Rodillian Multi Academy Trust to help improve behaviour.

A spokesman for BCET said: “The latest Ofsted report identifies that Bradford College Education Trust has taken a wide range of actions to bring about the required improvements at Samuel Lister Academy.

“The trust is disappointed that the full impact of these measures has not yet been seen in the academy, but we will re-double our efforts to ensure that at the next Ofsted monitoring visit there will be real substantial improvements.”

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