Hull headteacher hails public support after academy goes into special measures

Archbishop Sentamu Academy was rated as inadequate by the education watchdog. Inspectors criticised standards of leadership, teaching and learning and pupils’ results.

The personal development, behaviour and welfare of students is said to require improvement.

The report says that school leaders and governors have not ensured pupils have continued to make good progress.

It said this is because of poor teaching and particularly in maths and science.

Archbishop Sentamu Academy’s principal Andrew Chubb said: “Inspectors also told us that they found many examples of good or better learning across the academy in English, history, RE, PSHE, drama, PE and music, both in the main academy and at Post-16. 

“They were also impressed with the strides in improvement that had clearly been made with post-16 achievement since the start of this academic year. The team was however concerned about weaknesses in achievement in Maths and Science, and that the systems put in place to improve these areas had not yet had the necessary impact.

“Under the Ofsted schedule, any weakness in a core subject can lead to an overall judgment of “inadequate”, even if there are many other strengths; this is the main reason for which Archbishop Sentamu Academy has been placed into special measures. We are naturally very disappointed with this judgement.”  

He said the school had been heartened by the “highly supportive response from the vast majority of parents and indeed former students, who have praised their experience of our academy on social media pages.”

The school opened in 2008 in East Hull and was twice rated as being a good school before the latest inspection placed it in special measures.