Ofsted

Holland Park parents now threaten to sue Ofsted in MAT battle

They claim school's 'inadequate' judgment is 'intended to drive through' plans to join United Learning

They claim school's 'inadequate' judgment is 'intended to drive through' plans to join United Learning

23 Jun 2022, 19:35

More from this author

Parents at the former ‘outstanding’ Holland Park School in west London have threatened fresh legal action in their battle to stop it joining United Learning, accusing Ofsted of an “abuse of power”.

Schools Week revealed earlier this month that the high-profile standalone school, once dubbed the “socialist Eton” but recently embroiled in a bullying and discrimination scandal, had been rated ‘inadequate’.

The Ofsted verdict raised questions about why some recently exposed failures had not been picked up in previous visits, including a 2020 no-notice inspection that was sparked by concerns about leadership and pupil development.

But the latest inspection has infuriated parent and staff campaigners opposed to governing body plans for the school to join England’s biggest academy trust.

The HPS Parents Collective says Ofsted’s visit this year “appears intended to drive through the school’s conversion to a multi-academy trust”.

The ‘inadequate’ rating moves the school’s future from governors “into the hands of the Department for Education”, it says in a letter to the inspectorate.

This makes it an “improper purpose” for an inspection and an “abuse of power”, parents allege, one of three grounds cited for a potential judicial review. Campaigners also demand a copy of correspondence with ministers.

But Ofsted’s report says it was a routine inspection. Many ‘outstanding’ schools had faced visits since their exemption was lifted in 2020.

Campaigners also claim that the inspection did not follow fair process by allegedly not putting some criticisms to the school leadership.

They say too that the report’s contents only merited downgrading to ‘requires improvement’, as the school had strong exam results and it was “highly unusual” for schools to be downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’..

The parents’ group, which says it has about 350 members, has already filed for a judicial review against the plans to join United Learning. It is backed by the National Education Union, with both groups claiming the school’s consultation was flawed.

The governors’ plan to join United has been awaiting government sign-off. But ministers and regional schools commissioners have greater powers to determine the future of ‘inadequate’ schools, including determining which trust they join.

Inspectors criticised Holland Park for deteriorating pupil behaviour and for “cramming” five years’ of content into three years to boost GCSE pass numbers.

Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, told MPs in 2019 that Ofsted has seen an increase in the number of legal challenges against its judgments.

But schools are often put off by the costs of taking Ofsted to court – which one trust estimated would be £100,000.

Ofsted declined to comment.

Latest education roles from

IT Technician

IT Technician

Harris Academy Morden

Teacher of Geography

Teacher of Geography

Harris Academy Orpington

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Exams Assistant

Exams Assistant

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult & Community College

Lecturer Electrical Installation

Lecturer Electrical Installation

Solihull College and University Centre

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

It’s Education’s Time to Shine: Celebrate your Education Community in 2025!

The deadline is approaching to nominate a colleague, team, whole school or college for the 2025 Pearson National Teaching...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Navigating NPQ Funding Cuts: An Apprenticeship Success Story

Last year’s NPQ funding cuts meant that half of England’s teachers faced costs of up to £4,000 to complete...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Embedding Formative Assessment: not just a box-ticking exercise but something long-term and meaningful for all

Our EFA programme has been proven to help schools achieve better GCSE results, as evidenced by the EEF. Find...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Building capacity in family support to tackle low school attendance 

Persistent and severe school absence impacts children, families, and communities—especially in disadvantaged areas. School-Home Support’s Attendance Support and Development Programme...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Ofsted

Ofsted’s 11 grades will make judgments less reliable – experts

The inspectorate plans to use a five-point grading system to judge schools in nine key areas, plus early years...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Ofsted

Ofsted report cards verdict: Parents and school staff have their say

Polls suggest parents favour the proposed Ofsted model to the old one, while teachers and leaders oppose it

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Ofsted

Just 6% of teachers ‘positive’ about Ofsted proposals, shows poll

Ofsted has launched a consultation on plans to reform its inspection framework and to assess schools using new 'report...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Ofsted

Ofsted quiz: Can you spot a ‘strong’ rating from a ‘secure’ one?

Ofsted plans to publish 'toolkits' to explain how the five new grades will be awarded in proposed report cards...

Schools Week Reporter

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

One comment

  1. Steven

    A quick look at the school history, and reading the actual Ofsted report seems to suggest these parents are wasting their time. the school is desperate to regain its reputation and has clearly failed students in recent years.