Parents in Birmingham will be looking at the different schools across the city to see which ones are right for their children.
As parents weigh up the different options, we have put together a list of the secondary schools in the city which were rated as ‘inadequate’ during their latest inspection, according to the Ofsted website.
Schools across the country are regularly inspected by the education watchdog and are graded on a four-point scale. Although they aren’t inspected every year.
‘Outstanding’ is the top rating a school can receive, ‘good’ is second, ‘requires improvement’ the third and ‘inadequate’ is the worst. Teachers at schools across the country are currently taking part in strike action for better pay and funding for schools.
In England, the National Education Union is looking for a pay rise of 12% rather than the 5% offered so far by the government for most teachers. The unions say teachers’ pay has fallen by about 24% relative to inflation since 2010.
With this in mind, we’ve looked at all the secondary schools in Birmingham which Ofsted said are ‘inadequate’ during their latest full inspections.
1. Camp Hill Education, Stratford Road
The school’s Ofsted inspection report in 2021, said: “This school does not meet students’ needs. The school offers a limited number of subjects for students to study which are not taught well. Students do not attend as often as they should. Leaders are not providing students with enough guidance to help them make informed decisions about future careers.”
2. Ark Kings Academy, Kings Norton
The school’s Ofsted inspection report in 2021, said: “Leaders in the secondary phase do not make adequate checks when pupils are absent from school. This means that they do not know whether pupils are safe. Too many pupils are truant from lessons, and leaders have not taken effective action to address this.”
3. Newbury School, Aston
The school’s 2022 inspection report, said: “New leaders have a lot to do to improve the school. Pupils’ learning is often disjointed in individual subjects and across the curriculum. The curriculum is not sufficiently well planned and coherently constructed to meet pupils’ individual needs. Some pupils enjoy school, attend well and work hard in their lessons. High levels of staffing ensure that pupils get lots of attention throughout the day. Staff work patiently with them.”
4. Future First Independent School, Hockley Port
The school’s latest Ofsted inspection in 2022 said: “This is a small school for pupils who have experienced difficulties in other settings. Staff are well meaning. They care about pupils and aim to develop positive relationships. Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school. However, they do not attend regularly enough and miss too many lessons. This significantly limits their learning.”