Title: Risk of Change in Management at St Giles Academy, Lincoln as Education Standards Decline
Content:
A failure to meet desired educational standards could see St Giles Academy, a primary school in Lincoln, lose its management by Harbour Learning Trust. This follows from an Ofsted inspection which uncovered several significant concerns in the quality of education offered by the academy. The Department for Education is demanding a quick yet long-lasting improvement, failing which, a new management team might be ushered in.
An Ofsted report released in June revealed the flaws of St Giles Academy. It pointed out a poorly structured curriculum for most subjects, leaving students with educational gaps. It took notes of the insufficient provisions for students with special educational needs and the school’s lackadaisical attitude toward student behaviour, causing Carol Gray, the regional director for the Department for Education, to call for major improvements by the start of the new academic term. She posed a stern warning to the Harbour Learning Trust stating that the funding agreement for the academy could be terminated if satisfactory progress is not shown.
Richard Briggs, the CEO of Harbour Learning Trust, in response to the report, claimed the school had undergone significant changes and that St Giles is a “very different place” now. This includes enlisting a headteacher from a school with an outstanding record within the trust, bolstering the leadership team with new senior leaders and teachers. Increasing phonics scores are an indicator of the improvement, according to Briggs, who believes that the fruit of their work will become evident as the new term starts in September. He also pinned hopes on the local community support, which according to him, is necessary to drive the improvements.
As summer holidays kick in, stakeholders of the school keep their hopes alive of a positive change that would help St Giles meet the educational standards and continue serving the Lincoln community.
This story has been adapted from original reporting by www.bbc.com by The Lincoln Post.
