Djanogly City Academy told it must improve
A NOTTINGHAM school has been told by the Government it has to improve.
Djanogly City Academy is one of seven schools across the country to receive "pre-warning" letters from the Department for Education.
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Djanogly city academy
The letter expressed concern about attainment at the academy, particularly in its GCSE results.
Last summer, just 34 per cent of students gained the benchmark five A* to C grades including English and maths – six per cent below the national standard.
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Marks had been at a similar level since at least 2007, a Department for Education spokesman said, prompting it to send the letter.
The letters say the school must put in place measures to improve attainment or face being given a warning notice which could lead to further action, including Government intervention and a forced change of sponsor.
A spokesman for the department said: "Results in a minority of sponsored academies remain stubbornly low.
"We will not tolerate long-term under performance in any school – including in an academy.
"As with maintained schools, if these academies do not make the progress we expect, we will take further action. This may result in a change to the sponsorship arrangements."
Last year, eight academies received letters. This led to an average improvement in the number of 16-year-olds reaching the GCSE benchmark of 16 per cent.
No time limits have been given for the improvement for Djanogly City Academy.
The Government spokesman said it would be monitored to make sure plans were in place to oversee it.
The academy has also struggled with absenteeism.
In the autumn and spring term 2011-12, nearly 15 per cent of students were persistently absent – meaning they missed around 15 per cent of lessons.
In its latest Ofsted inspection in October 2011, it was rated "satisfactory" overall, though attainment was rated "inadequate". Some other areas were rated "good", including how pupils contributed to the wider community.
The academy brought in a new principal last summer in Andy Kilpatrick, who has overseen vast improvements at his previous schools – including a 17 per cent improvement in GCSE results at one.
Fiona Corbett's son Luke, 17, left the academy last summer with four Bs and six Cs, including English and maths, but she felt the letter was warranted.
"It was a terrible school," she said. "There were issues with behaviour there. I'm not surprised it's had this letter. Luckily, Luke left with some good grades. But perhaps they could have been better elsewhere."
Mr Kilpatrick said: "The governors at Djanogly City Academy were aware standards were not as they should be and have pre-empted the Office of School Commissioners by setting in place an improvement plan. The academy is on track to meet the challenging targets it has set itself, including achieving 52 per cent with 5 GCSE grades A-C including English and Maths this year.
"Students are showing rapid progress and are responding to the targets. Additional support is being provided where needed and students are frequently assessed."
4 Comments
by rdc180368
Sunday, February 24 2013, 8:29PM
“@Alane... the point you make regarding salaries is an excellent one. I suspect that the answer lies in the cultural "fixation" some people have with what are often dubiously referred to as "excellent leaders".
I've seen governors who have eyes only for Headteachers and their immediate subordinates. They conveniently ignore the obvious... that without the "ordinary" staff who do the jobs in schools that really matter, then you haven't got much at all! It's also sadly true that the higher up the grading scale you go then the less you sometimes find sufficient numbers of individuals who are prepared to accept responsibility??”
by Alane
Sunday, February 24 2013, 8:07PM
“Djanogly accounts show someone earning more than £150,000 per year. How can this be justified, particularly bearing in mind the failings highlighted here? Who decides?”
by rdc180368
Friday, February 22 2013, 1:28PM
“Policy on academies (whether Labour's 'city' academies or the Tory/Lib Dem 'Gove' academies, which are even barmier) needs to be reversed. It has been a huge waste of money and has led to chaos throughout the schools system. Many of the Headteacher's and governors who have seized on this as an opportunity to inflate their egos (and in the cases of many Heads and their acolytes, their salaries) have frankly shown themselves to be unfit to exercise any additional "responsibility".
The system as it was worked well for the very most part. If it was felt that some local authorities weren't discharging all of their obligations towards schools or co-ordinating education effectively, then politicians worth anything would have made it their business to force councillors in those areas to get their act together. Starting our schools on the road to privatisation and a market-based 'free-for-all' has been shown to be exactly the wrong thing.”
by Alane
Thursday, February 21 2013, 6:55PM
“Should the Djanogly Trust be allowed to expand, at public expense, when its record is so poor? Why are the University teaming up with this failing operation at Dunkirk Fire Station? The long-term problem with absenteeism has been highlighted in successive Ofsted reports. Sadly, one young absentee committed suicide. The coroner said that the academy had not safeguarded him properly. Has any governor, director or "leader" been held accountable for the Djanogly's failures?”