The trust currently running St Michael’s C of E in Crosby has been issued a Termination Warning Notice
A failing Merseyside high school that was recently branded as ‘inadequate’ by inspectors looks set to be transferred to another academy trust. St Michael’s Church of England High School in Crosby was hit with the lowest possible rating by Ofsted following an inspection in June, with inspectors finding that pupils at the school were ‘unprepared for the future.’
The education watchdog said teachers at the school do not having clarity on what to teach, with activities failing to help pupils learn the contents of the curriculum. Following the damning inspection, which was published last month, major action could now be taken. The Department for Education (DfE) has issued a Termination Warning Notice to the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST), which currently runs the Crosby school.
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A notice to staff, seen by the ECHO, confirmed the warning notice and that an agreement in principle has now been reached between the Diocese and the Dfe to transfer the school to another academy trust. The notice said staff will be subject to the TUPE process and everyone will be transferred over to the new sponsor, who is yet to be confirmed.
The notice to staff added: “This is an uncertain and unsettling time for us all. Change is going to happen, and timescales are, as yet, completely unknown.” Responding to questions from the ECHO, a spokesperson for the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST) said: “LDST acknowledges the Termination Warning Notice which is standard practice from the Department For Education when there is an inadequate Ofsted rating.
“Following that rating the Trust has been working hard on an action plan for improvement however we welcome the agreement in principle to transfer St Michaels to another Trust.
“We consider that this is in the best interests of students, staff and the community for St Michaels to be in a trust where it can collaborate with and be supported by other secondary schools. LDST will focus on being a provider of primary school education within the family of Church of England primary schools across the Diocese of Liverpool.”
In its recent inspection report, Ofsted reported that one of the main areas of concern at St Michael’s was “insufficient leadership expertise”, but noted a prolonged period of turbulence in leadership and staffing at the school is coming to an end. In terms of curriculum and learning processes, changes are said to have been implemented at the school, but are still in their infancy.
Inspectors identified numerous shortcomings in the curriculum in key stage 3 which mean pupils are not well prepared for key stage 4. Inspectors said this means pupils are entering Year 10 with “many deficits in their knowledge” and are “playing catch up” from the outset of their learning journey. Ofsted also reported weaknesses in the design of the curriculum for sixth form students which left them “unprepared for their future”.
