Comment

establishment would mean a new lease of life and finally give the pupils

a better education. It was also hoped that a new start would help the

children become more responsible and better members of society when they

leave.With the current Ofsted report, it seems that is not the case. The

inspector's recommendation to put the college into special measures is

obviously a body blow. The end result of all the changes is hardly a

triumph for the education system. The inspector's report points to low

grades, a failure to hit targets, poor progress of pupils and teaching

quality that didn't help those who needed extra attention or those who

were above average and needed encouragement to excel.Immanuel College

has serious problems that need to be addressed now and it is to be hoped

that the latest initiatives introduced at the school will be sufficient

to do the job. It is not enough to blame the quality of work from the

pupils. The report quite bluntly states that the teaching is not up to

scratch.Children who are poorly taught are given low expectations, and

that will travel with them beyond school and into life. Youngsters who

misbehave and are allowed to get away with it are not going to enter

adulthood with the necessary skills to perform well.There is a massive

struggle ahead of Immanuel College. It is essentially starting from

square one, with an improvement in teaching, management, and pupils'

behaviour, achievements, punctuality and attendance all being identified

as key issues which need urgent attention.This report pulls no punches,

but neither did the report in November 2002 which was also highly

critical. Lessons, it seems, have not been learned at Immanuel College.