Governors kicked out as school in Bradford Moor fails again (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Governors kicked out as school in Bradford Moor fails again

7:00am Monday 22nd March 2010 in

By Ben Barnett »

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The governing body of a crisis-hit Bradford primary school has been removed.

An interim executive board (IEB) is being appointed to temporarily take over the running of Feversham Primary, in Bradford Moor.

Urgent action is being taken by Bradford Council, which has powers under the Education Act 2002 to intervene in schools causing concern.

Education Bradford, the private firm responsible for improving school standards in the district, would not comment on suggestions that the school has been put into the failing Special Measures category by school watchdog Ofsted.

A team of inspectors is reported to have visited the school recently although their findings have not yet been made public.

The developments are a worrying turnaround for a school that was judged to be satisfactory and improving when Ofsted last published an inspection report in January 2007.

The report stated that the governors knew the school well and had made sensible decisions that had contributed to the school’s improvement over a two-year period.

Almost all the school’s pupils come from ethnic-minority groups and most speak little English when they start in the Foundation Stage.

The leadership of the school has been called into question since that report.

Rashidah Butt, headteacher since September 2004, returned to the school in January after an unexplained “extended leave of absence”.

Last summer it emerged that Miss Butt, who had been previously accused of bullying staff, was pursuing claims of sex and race discrimination against the Council and the school’s board of governors.

A four-week employment tribunal had been scheduled to start on February 8 but it was postponed. A case management hearing took place in Leeds on Tuesday.

Education Bradford told the Telegraph & Argus it had the backing of the Department for Children, Schools and Families to put the Interim Executive Board in place and said it hoped the move would help the school make rapid improvements.

Education Bradford said the IEB replaces the governing body at the school for the foreseeable future and is being chaired by Margaret Platts, former headteacher at Belle Vue Girls’ School.

Mrs Platts said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to be the chairman and work with the headteacher, staff, children and parents. My colleagues on the IEB are very committed professionals with a wide experience of working with schools and young people.”

Lesley Hart, Education Bradford’s Director of School Improvement, said: “The IEB will help the school focus on rapid improvements and better outcomes for the children and provide strategic support and challenge to the school to bring this about.

“This will build on the additional support the school is receiving from education professionals, brokered by Education Bradford.

“I am delighted Margaret Platts, whose work was recognised by her receipt of the MBE in 2000, has agreed to chair the IEB.

“Margaret is a well-known and well-respected Bradford educationalist with more than 30 years’ experience in the district’s schools.”

Sue Colman, Bradford Council’s Assistant Director for Learning Services, said: “The local authority is supportive of these measures and we are confident they will assist the school in improving.”

Over the last year the school’s board of governors has been led by three different chairmen.

Newly-ousted chairman Mohammed Saraj said the governing body had failed in an appeal against the implementation of an IEB.

He claims governors were not formally consulted about the move and that the school’s progress was hampered by Education Bradford.

“It’s not sour grapes from my point of view,” he said. “I have no agenda against Education Bradford but we were getting conflicting advice and little support for human resources and financial matters.”

He also questioned the progress of other schools under the direction of IEBs.

Ward councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq (Lab, Bradford Moor) called on the problems to be resolved as soon as possible.

He said: “I have been very concerned about the school for a number of years because it has been having a lot of difficulties.

“My main concern is for the children and the parents. When a school is unstable it has an impact on the education of the children.”

Coun Mohammed Shafiq (Lab, Bradford Moor) said: “I hope the local authority will take the action that is needed to ensure children’s education is not affected in any way.”

Comments(28)

Marco Polio says...
7:07am Mon 22 Mar 10

Three words, 'Ray was Right.'