Bradford school goes into special measures

Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College, in Bradford, has been rated as inadequate by the education watchdog.

The report says students made too little progress in many subjects including maths, English and science. Standards are below average and beneath Government floor targets, Ofsted says.

Inspectors rate the schools’ leadership and management, quality of teaching and achievement of pupils to be inadequate. It says the behaviour and safety of pupils and the school’s sixth form provision requires improvement.

The report says: “Behaviour requires improvement because students’ attitudes to learning vary too much depending on the quality of teaching they receive.” Ofsted also says the school does not do enough to ensure all students attend regularly, particularly disadvantaged students, disabled students and those with special educational needs. And inspectors said until recently governors failed to challenge the head teacher sufficiently on the school’s performance.

The report says pupils feel safe and that there is some good teaching, particularly in geography, history and religious education.

Head teacher Richard Hughes said; “We accept the areas for improvement given to us by Ofsted who inspected the school in July and we believe we are already making rapid progress in addressing the issues raised...A school improvement partnership with Immanuel College is bearing much fruit and, in the summer, our five A*-C (English and maths) results improved by 12 per cent.”

He added: “We were pleased with the comments inspectors made about our students being courteous, polite and confident.”

Bradford Council’s executive member for education Coun Susan Hinchcliffe said: “The school has accepted Ofsted’s findings and is already working hard to make the improvements required. Council officers are working closely with Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College.”

“In line with our new plan for school-led improvement we are making sure the school is benefiting from the support of a good local school in order to accelerate its progress and provide all its students with the high quality education they deserve.”