Birmingham primary school once rated outstanding is now ‘failing its 93 pupils’, say Ofsted

A Birmingham school for children with complex needs – once rated ‘outstanding’ – is now failing its 93 pupils, Ofsted inspectors found.

The education watchdog carried out an inspection at Hodge Hill’s Beaufort School in June this year and placed the primary into special measures.

Children were found to be ‘potentially at risk of harm’ due to poor online safeguarding, inspectors said, and also had ‘a poor standard of education’ due to a high staff turnover. Pupils, aged between three and 11, were not being taught how to protect themselves on the web, inspectors said.

“This means they cannot identify any potential dangers while using the internet,” read the concerning Ofsted report. It continued: “This puts pupils at a potential risk of harm.”

Inspectors added that the curriculum at the ‘inadequate’ Stechford Road school failed to ‘meet pupils’ needs’. “Pupils are not prepared for their next stages of development or education,” read the report.

“Frequent changes in staffing and leadership have led to many adults not knowing pupils well enough. Although pupils’ needs are identified with the support of specialist professionals, they’re not met sufficiently while at school.”

Pupils are ‘unsettled during lessons’, added Ofsted, and ‘lose interest quickly’ because they’re ‘not engaged in their learning’. Inspectors said learning issues stemmed from staff not planning lessons ahead of time and not having the ‘necessary skills’ to manage children’s behaviour.

What has the school said about the report?

Responding to the damning report, the newly appointed headteacher at Beaufort School said: “The outcome is disappointing for all concerned. But it does not impact the school’s core responsibility to provide children with a safe place of education and support in which they can thrive.

“As headteacher of the school, I am developing a plan, known as a post Ofsted action plan, to address all areas that have been highlighted in the inspection report. There will be changes in the coming months and I will update on these and the work being done to improve the school infrastructure.

“It is important to reaffirm this and to reassure that the team here at Beaufort are working hard every day to improve the education provision for the school children.”