Second flagship free school criticised by Ofsted

King’s Science Academy, in Bradford, has also been told to improve leadership and management at all levels by the education watchdog.

The principal of the school Sajid Hussain Raza has responded to the report by claiming that Ofsted found it very difficult to understand King’s Science Academy’s education methods.

It was one of the first of three free schools which opened in Yorkshire in 2011 under the coalition Government’s reforms which encouraged the creation of new state schools.

The first two to be inspected, King’s and Batley Grammar, which converted from the private sector, have been found to require improvement – a new category created by Ofsted this academic year.

King’s Science Academy’s report, published yesterday, has rated the school as requiring improvement in all the main inspection areas: achievement of pupils, quality of teaching; behaviour and safety of pupils and leadership and management.

The report calls for an external review of governance and says governors should “urgently” receive training to allow them to support and challenge the school.

It also warns that because the school does not have the full use of a new site, which it has recently moved to in the Lidget Green area of Bradford, it is not possible to do practical science work.

Design and technology are not taught because of lack of space and creative subjects such as art and design and music and performing arts are not taught regularly, Ofsted say. Inspectors also warn that the length of the school day and intensive academic programme can prevent students from enjoying learning.

It says school leaders have high aspirations but place too much emphasis on what teachers do well rather than how well all members of the class are learning.

It praises the energy, enthusiasm and potential of staff, including those “relatively new to teaching and school leadership roles.”

Mr Hussain Raza said: “We welcome any constructive feedback. We tend to give more credibility to National Leaders of Education who have commented on our education to be innovative and inspiring and the progress of our students to be outstanding.

“There is a huge gulf between the opinion of an NLE from Challenge Partners, a national reputable organisation in school improvement, available on our website and the opinion of days’ visit by Ofsted, who found it very difficult to understand our education methods, which may be not be aligned to an ‘Ofsted criteria’.

King’s Science Academy was one of three free schools to open in Yorkshire the first wave in 2011 along with Batley Grammar and Rainbow Primary School.

Both King’s and Rainbow originally shared the same temporary site in a former independent Muslim school building in Manningham. King’s has now moved to a new site in Lidget Green, Bradford which was facing a shortage of school places.

Mr Hussain Raza, the founder of the school is a Bradford-born teacher and Oxford graduate who is on the Future Leaders in Education programme.

On the school’s website it describes itself as having “a high expectation ethos.”

It says: “The mission of the Trust is to offer outstanding character and academic education to students who live in socially and economically deprived areas. The Academy delivers a core academic curriculum which focuses on the E-Bacc subjects English, Maths, Triple Sciences, Languages and Humanities. These subjects are compulsory for all students at Kings. Our motto is Mores et Scientia or Character and Knowledge”.