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Holland Park School rife with exploitation and fear, report finds

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Holland Park School has a distinctive mesh-like metal exterior

An investigation into a London academy school has found safeguarding breaches and exploitation within teacher-student relationships.

The investigation, undertaken by the board of governors at Holland Park School in west London, found a culture of "fear, favouritism and inequality".

It said very little support was provided to students after traumatic events such as the Grenfell fire.

Pupils and teachers were also subject to sexism, Islamophobia, and racism.

The local authority, Kensington and Chelsea, published a statement saying "last week a child was harmed and a teacher was taken seriously ill".

It added: "This week a teacher has left the school in tears and more than 200 pupils were involved in a riot to protest against the future plans being made about their school and to express their concern about their teachers".

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Some findings of the investigation:

  • An inappropriate response to the case of a teacher who was found to have had a relationship with a pupil
  • Inappropriate use of the isolation room
  • Open discussion at staff meetings about the personal appearance of teachers
  • Rapid promotion of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) to positions of senior leadership without appropriate training or experience
  • Inappropriate sharing of confidential information
  • Staff questionnaires relating to the Ofsted inspection of January 2020 were destroyed at the instigation of some senior leaders
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Complaints investigated by the board of governors came from students and staff, and included misleading Ofsted inspectors, safeguarding flaws risking students' welfare, and bullying of both teachers and students.

The independent investigation looked into claims of safeguarding breaches, bullying, discrimination and inequality in respect of both teachers and students.

It also found a failure to support students who had been victims of peer-on-peer sexual abuse.

The complaints and evidence span from 2004, when the school was under the control of Kensington and Chelsea council, to September 2013 when it became a Single Academy Trust, and then from September 2013 to December 2021.

Some former staff and students were "still traumatised by their experiences at Holland Park School" and "at times interviewees were extremely distressed in having to revisit their time at Holland Park School and were visibly shaken", the report said.

'Immediate intervention'

The Department for Education previously issued the school with a Notice to Improve in November 2021, highlighting financial mismanagement as well as leaders' "excessive salaries and failure to seek prior approval from the government for 'novel and contentious' expenditure".

The school announced last year that then-head teacher Colin Hall would retire early, while a new chair of governors was appointed. Before he left the school, Mr Hall said: "We don't recognise the characterisation of the school or our leadership in the allegations raised."

Sarah Newman, executive director at children's services at Kensington and Chelsea Council, said the situation "has now escalated to such a level that the council is calling for immediate intervention by the Department for Education".

The board of governors said it was taking the findings "very seriously" and would be starting a disciplinary investigation in respect of three staff members.

A statement added: "The board of governors has been reconstituted since the events contained in the report occurred, with almost all governors appointed since September 2021.

"However, the current board deeply regrets that the independent investigation has concluded that these events have occurred."