Chief wants more power to help failing schools (From This is Hampshire)

Chief wants more power to help failing schools

8:58am Tuesday 14th February 2012 in News By Emily Roberts

HAMPSHIRE’S education chief has said he would like the education authority to have more power to step in at failing schools.

In Monday’s paper last week The Gazette revealed that Sarah Rogers, head of The Clere School and Technology College in Burghclere left on the day an Ofsted report judged her school as “inadequate” and put it in “special measures”.

Ms Rogers was the third head to step down at local schools in the last year, following “inadequate” Ofsted reports.

Peter Hutchinson, head of The Vyne Community School, in South View, Basingstoke, quit in March last year, and David Eyre, headteacher of Brighton Hill Community College, in Brighton Hill, Basingstoke took early retirement last summer after their schools were both the subject of critical reports by the education watchdog.

A letter sent to parents at The Clere from Pam Burke, chairman of governors, said Ms Rogers had decided to “step down” to “pursue her career in a new context.”

Councillor Roy Perry, executive lead member for children’s services at Hampshire County Council, said: “The leadership of a school is crucial. We want to see all schools with good leadership and if there are concerns they are failing then that calls for discussions with the education authority.

“From time to time, there do need to be careful discussions, and we decide what is in the best interests of the school.”

The Gazette asked Cllr Perry why schools were only offered extra support once they have been graded as “inadequate”, and why nothing was done to prevent the slide in performance at The Clere, The Vyne and Brighton Hill.

He said: “The county council, as the education authority, only has powers to formally intervene if the school is put in ‘special measures’. It has to get that bottom category.

“When it’s classed as ‘satisfactory’, we contact the school but we don’t have the powers to intervene. I would welcome additional powers for the local education authority to intervene sooner.”

With regards to The Clere, he said: “We were in there helping them and results improved for a couple of years. This year, the GCSE results were down. Not only did they go down, but the school thought they would go up which suggests a mis-judgement by the school. It was that reduction that led Ofsted to think it’s not good enough, and we agree with them.”

He said the new interim headteacher, Jonathan de Sausmarez, who is executive headteacher at The Romsey School, is confident he can make improvements.

Basingstoke MP Maria Miller said she recently met with Cllr Perry to discuss Basingstoke schools.

She added: “He’s reassured me that the county council share my opinion that all Basingstoke schools should provide the best education for children, and they will continue to work with schools to achieve that.

“It’s encouraging to see that real strides are being made at Brighton Hill Community College, and I think that sometimes a change at the top can be very beneficial.”