When Immanuel College was born it was hoped that the new-look
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.
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