Future bright for failing Telford schools, says trust chairman

Sutherland Co-operative Academy, Wrockwardine Wood Arts Academy, Lakeside Academy and Phoenix Academy have all been placed into special measures after being given the worst possible an "inadequate" rating by Ofsted.

Management of the four schools is overseen by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust (TCMAT), which was also criticised in the reports for not providing enough support.

But chairman Peter Lawley said the future was positive.

He said he was "99 per cent sure" an unnamed sponsor identified by the trust would go on to take over the running of the schools – and added state-of-the-art buildings gave children a "tremendous opportunity" to learn.

Mr Lawley said he could not reveal the identity of the potential new sponsors for contractual reasons - but did reveal they were not local to Telford.

He said with the exception of the finance chief on the board, all of the other trust directors were lay volunteers and so did not expect there to be job losses at the top level as a result of a change in leadership.

He said: "I think what we very much want to put across is that the future should be bright.

"Education is ongoing, all the signs are that the schools are improving, and the children are secure and happy.

"We very much anticipate the exam results this summer will be better.

"With the new build for pupils at Sutherland and Wrockwardine Wood, along with the development at Lakeside, these new facilities present us with a tremendous opportunity for local children."

All four schools have been placed in special measures as a result of the "inadequate" ratings.

It means all four will now be regularly monitored by Government inspectors to make sure the necessary improvements are made to bring them back up to scratch.

TCMAT was created in 2013 to oversee the management of the schools following conversions to academies, taking them out of local authority control.

Its website says the trust is "committed to providing excellence for all students" and that one of its stated aims is for all schools to "be judged as outstanding".

But inspectors visiting Phoenix Academy said there was a "culture of low expectations" at the school, with "weak teaching" and leaders and governors who have "failed to act decisively" to address declining standards.

The team which visited Lakeside said learning was often disrupted because "too many students misbehave in lessons".

The report for the Stirchley school said some students "did not feel safe" in all areas of the academy because of the "behaviour of a few students" and said the concern was "not tackled urgently" by academy leaders.