Failing High School Run by Trust Receives Termination Warning Notice

A failing high school in Merseyside is likely to be transferred to a new academy trust after receiving an 'inadequate' rating from Ofsted. St Michael's Church of England High School in Crosby was rated at the lowest level following an inspection in June, with inspectors highlighting that students were "unprepared for the future."

The inspection report criticized the school's curriculum, noting that teachers lacked clarity on what to teach, and that classroom activities were not helping students learn the required material. The Department for Education (DfE) is now expected to take major action, with an agreement in principle being reached to transfer the school to another academy trust. Staff at the school will be subject to the TUPE process, which will see them transferred to the new sponsor once confirmed.

In a notice to staff, it was acknowledged that this is an "uncertain and unsettling" time, with no clear timescale for the transition. A spokesperson for the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST), which currently oversees the school, said the decision to transfer St Michael's was in the best interests of the students, staff, and the wider community.

The LDST emphasized that while it had developed an action plan to address the issues raised in the Ofsted report, the transfer would allow St Michael's to be supported by a trust with experience in secondary education. The trust itself plans to focus on providing primary school education within its network of Church of England schools in the Diocese of Liverpool.

Ofsted's inspection report identified a lack of leadership expertise as a key issue, but noted that a period of leadership instability at the school was coming to an end. While some changes to the curriculum had been made, they were still in the early stages of implementation. Inspectors found significant gaps in students' knowledge at key stage 3, leaving them unprepared for the challenges of key stage 4. Similar concerns were raised about the sixth form curriculum, which was deemed insufficient in preparing students for their future endeavors.