Holmfield Primary School is threatened with closure - Submitted 08 Oct 2009 - Source Leicester Mercury

>> What happens next - what can you do <<

Parents and governors say they want a school threatened with closure to be given one more chance to show it has made improvements.

A 12-week consultation has begun into the future of Holmfield Primary School, in Leicester Forest East, after an Ofsted report criticised "inadequate" teaching and placed the school in special measures. **(see below to view the report)**

Governors say Leicestershire County Council's own inspectors judged the school to be making satisfactory improvements just days before Ofsted produced its damning report.

Earlier this week, a large group of parents and children marched in protest against closure. Helen Lawson, of Thorpe Astley, whose son goes to the 152-pupil school, said it has a lot of support.

She said: "Support is not just coming from parents but from the entire community who feel the school is at its heart.
"I've just been into the chemist and they've already filled a page of a petition."

Susan Flannigan, who has three grandchildren at the school and whose own children were pupils there, said: "We don't think it makes sense.

"It just doesn't seem fair when you see the money that's pumped into other schools. "The children here are happy kids. There can't be that much wrong with that."

In its inspection report published a fortnight ago, Ofsted said that despite some improvements over the last year, significant groups of pupils were not making enough progress and were "attaining standards that are exceptionally low for their ages".

But Malcolm Fox, vice-chairman of the school's governing body, said governors and parents were not sticking up for the school because of "misplaced loyalty" but because they believe it is improving – and would prove that to Ofsted when inspectors returned.

He said: "Local authority inspectors came into school and told us teaching was good and improving just four working days before Ofsted inspected us.

Holmfield Primary School Improvement and Performance Service Note of Visit > LEA Report 16th June 2009 <

"We fully believe that when Ofsted inspectors return in December or January they will see that teaching is improving and the county council will withdraw its consultation into closure."

Councillor Ivan Ould, county council cabinet member for education, and David Parsons, the council leader whose own ward includes Holmfield, said they would listen fully to parents' concerns.

But education officials say they must consider the school's future because Ofsted said it was "failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement."

Holmfield Primary School website LEA Report June 2009 School Improvement and Service Note of Visit

** Inspection Report: Holmfield Primary School, 23rd & 24th June 2009 **

Text from letter from Her Majesty's Inspector to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection 25th June 2009

Dear Pupils

Inspection of Holmfield Primary School, Leicester Forest East, LE3 3FF

Thank you for being so helpful to us when we came to inspect your school. You gave us some very useful information when you talked with us and showed us your work. This helped us to make the judgements I am now sharing with you.

You told us that the adults in the school work hard to take care of you and help you to feel safe in school. You know a lot about how to stay healthy and try hard to behave well in lessons, and more of you are now attending school regularly. The school gives you the chance to help each other through the school council or as play leaders.

We have decided your school is not doing as well as it should and needs some extra help; we call this 'special measures'. The adults that work with you will have help to improve your school. Other inspectors will be visiting your school regularly to check its progress. Having looked closely at your work in lessons, I have judged that many of you are not being helped to make enough progress. I have therefore asked your headteacher, governors and staff to:

help you to make better progress and reach higher standards in English, mathematics and science
make sure that your activities in lessons always challenge and motivate you
increase the ability of senior staff and subject leaders to drive up standards and achievement
put in place some important policies that will help them improve the school's performance.
You can play your part by coming to school even more regularly, by behaving as well as you can, and by working hard in lessons.
We wish you every success in the future.

Yours faithfully
Anthony O'Malley
Her Majesty's Inspector

Three major, three minor inspections in the pevious year, 2008/9, by the County Council independent Inspectors all said that Holmfield was 'satisafory' and 'making progress'. An HMI visit in January 2009 said that Holmfield was 'satisfactory' and 'making progress'. The last county Council Inspection was two weeks before the Ofsted inspection in June, which assessed the school as needing 'special measures'.

The Governors were shocked at the Ofsted assessment as the previous inspecions had been so positive. There is something wrong with either the County Council Inspections or the Ofsted - both cannot be right.

Further, the Key Stage 2, Yr.6, examination results this summer were the best ever for the school, showing a consistent increase over the past four years. The KS2 results are very very close to the national average, in science well above and in writing, below. The school is NOT failing in that respect, particularly as the intake is significantly below national levels.

The children at Holmfield are happy in what they feel as a safe enviropnment with an extremely low levelof bullying. Children transfering in from other schools comment on this. Any bullying is immediately dealt with.
Ofsted will visit again in December/January and Holmfield hs the opportunity to attain a satisfactory assessment. If it does not, so be it.

All at Holmfield will work extremely hard for a positive Ofsted assessment in December/January. We completely take on board the Government's determination to raise educational standards all round and the Leicestershire 'Pathways to Excellence' program.

The site is about twelve acres and its sale as building land would go some way towards the projected County Council deficit. Expect disinformation and 'economy of truths' on this.

>> What happens next - what can you do <<

Inspection Report: Holmfield Primary School, 18th &19th June 2008 Opens in new window as a PDF File

Visit the LFE Forum to leave a comment