A city school has vowed to fight back after it was placed in special measures by Ofsted inspectors.
Stockland Green School was branded as inadequate – the lowest grade – in key areas including pupil achievement and behaviour, the quality of teaching and leadership and must make big improvements.
Inspectors visited the 725-pupil school in Slade Road, Erdington, in December and observed 33 lessons, an assembly and students during break and lunch times.
The views of 28 parents and carers who had responded to an Ofsted online questionnaire and teachers were also taken into consideration.
Their damning report found that pupil achievement in the school, which became an academy in May 2012, had declined, attendance fallen and not enough had been done to tackle poor behaviour leading to “an unacceptably high number of students being excluded or repeatedly excluded from school.”
The report said: “Leaders at all levels, including governors and the academy trust, have until very recently failed to stop the decline in students’ achievement, behaviour and attendance. They have not improved the quality of teaching.
“The academy’s self-evaluation is weak. Its development plan does not tackle the key areas needed to improve.”
But the inspectors praised how safe and well cared for pupils felt, how the school worked with other agencies to support students who needed help and also said the specialist resource base was making a “positive difference.”
Head teachers Tracey Peters and Marie George, said they had already started making changes.
They said in a statement: “We look forward to Ofsted’s return. This will be a great opportunity for them to see that we’re making and sustaining real progress.
“We’re confident we can work together to reach our previous grading of ‘good’ or better.
“At Stockland Green we pride ourselves on our close partnerships in the community.”
