Schools

Rye College: Ofsted inspects school at centre of gender row

Inspectors sent in to East Sussex school rated 'good' earlier this year

Inspectors sent in to East Sussex school rated 'good' earlier this year

Ofsted

Inspectors have been sent into the school at the centre of a gender row following complaints including from a government minister.

Rye College in East Sussex made national headlines last week after a recording went viral of a teacher branding a pupil “despicable” during an argument over identity.

It was reported the dispute erupted after the child rejected a classmate’s request to be identified as a cat. But this is not clear from the recording, and the college has insisted none of its pupils “identify as a cat or any other animal”.

The incident prompted equalities minister Kemi Badenoch to demand a snap inspection of the school, leading to accusations of political “grandstanding”.

This week Ofsted returned to the school which it rated as ‘good’ earlier this year.

A spokesperson said they had “considered the letter from the minister as a complaint, alongside others, and followed up with the school and other relevant agencies”.

“Following these discussions, we are inspecting Rye College. Ofsted is an inspectorate – we do not investigate specific incidents.”

The government had already sent DfE south-east regional director Dame Kate Dethridge into the college following the news reports earlier this month.

Trust ‘remains committed’ to inclusive education

A spokesperson for the Aquinas Church of England Trust, which runs Rye College, said it had shared a “comprehensive update on the events which took place before, during and after the recording”.

“This meeting was a positive step, and we will continue working closely with them to ensure any appropriate action is taken. Ofsted has now visited the school and we of course, as always, fully supported and engaged with the process.”

They added that they “remain committed to offering our pupils an inclusive education in line with best practice”.

“We will continue to support our teachers in their endeavours to ensure that pupils’ views are listened to, and encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion.”

The school’s latest Ofsted report, its first under the sponsorship of Aquinas, described a “happy, friendly atmosphere throughout”, adding that “pupils feel safe”.

“Relationships are strong. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and conduct.”

The school was previously rated ‘inadequate’ in 2018 while it was part of the Rye Academy Trust. It joined Aquinas later that year.

Latest education roles from

Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

Romero Catholic Academy Trust

Director of Academy Finance and Operations

Director of Academy Finance and Operations

Ormiston Academies Trust

Principal & Chief Executive

Principal & Chief Executive

Truro & Penwith College

Group Director of Marketing, Communications & External Engagement

Group Director of Marketing, Communications & External Engagement

London & South East Education Group

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Building Character, Increasing Engagement and Growing Leaders: A Whole School Approach

Research increasingly shows that character education is just as important as academic achievement in shaping pupils’ long-term success. Studies...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Educators launch national AI framework to guide schools and colleges

More than 250 schools and colleges across the UK have already enrolled in AiEd Certified, a new certification framework...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Politics, Schools

Reform government would ‘root out teachers brainwashing kids’ says MP Lee Anderson

Reform UK members tell party conference of need to crack down on 'brainwashing' teachers and stop schools 'becoming indoctrination...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Schools

Farage: ‘Let’s start teaching trades and services at school’

Reform leader also says he ‘will not stand for kids’ minds being poisoned in schools with a twisted interpretation...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Schools

Staff want compensation after summer cyber-attack

Schools warned incident could increase risk of phishing, fraud and identity theft for impacted employees

John Dickens
Schools

Lockdown: The schools forced to take emergency measures

Union calls for 'comprehensive' guidance as leaders warn of communications difficulties during incidents

Jack Dyson

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

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

One comment

  1. Ofsted reinspecting a school that it had already judged as good only a few weeks ago, is an admission that the inspection framework is completely flawed. Each inspection is a mixture of pre-judgements from the HMI and a series of sliding doors.