The Grange School head hits out over Ofsted’s report

The headteacher of a secondary school in Shrewsbury, who is quitting her job in the wake of a damning report, has criticised the decision by Government inspectors to put it in special measures.

Julia Thomas, who will leave The Grange School in Worcester Road at the end of August, said the tougher Ofsted inspection regime brought in by the Government this year had resulted in the negative assessment of the school.

She said she did not accept the judgement following an inspection in February.

“I don’t think the school should be in special measures. It has good teachers, the community is great and the kids are fantastic,” she said.

“More and more schools are going into special measures and it is because of the new framework.”

Other schools in Shropshire to be put into special measures by inspectors this year include Hope Primary School, near Shrewsbury, and Morville Primary School, near Bridgnorth.

Harlescott Junior School in Shrewsbury was also placed into special measures last November. Mrs Thomas, 52, who has been in charge of The Grange for six years, added: “I don’t like what is going on at all. I would quite like to do something completely different.”

As part of the school’s federation with Sundorne School and Sports College, its head Geoff Pettengell will now oversee education at The Grange as part of his new role as principal of the federation.

Mrs Thomas said she supported the federation plans, as they helped prevent the possibility of the school being turned into a privately-run sponsored academy by the Government.

Her comments followed the latest visit by school inspectors to The Grange, who have ruled that ‘inadequate’ progress is being made towards making improvements.

See also:

• Head steps down after school hit by poor report
• Shrewsbury’s Grange School slated in damning Ofsted report