'No-one is in charge' - parent at failing Northants school

A parent has been sharing his concerns about a school that has been rated as "inadequate" by Ofsted inspectors.

The father of a female pupil at Montsaye Academy in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, said his daughter had been off school for four months after suffering sustained bullying.

He said that no-one appeared to be in charge at the secondary school.

North Northamptonshire Council said its officers were offering support and monitoring progress.

Montsaye Academy's last inspection report in 2019 rated the school as good but, four years later, inspectors graded every area of assessment as "inadequate".

The inspectors found some pupils exhibited "very poor" behaviour which went unchallenged and shouting and swearing was "commonplace".

They also felt youngsters at the school were not prepared for life in modern Britain, homophobic comments were "routine" and some pupils "experience racism".

The Ofsted report said children "wander the corridors and defiantly miss lessons".

The chief executive of Pathfinder Schools, which runs Montsaye Academy, has written to parents to say the "inadequate" grading was not good enough and "rapid action" had been taken to address the issues.

The father of one pupil, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC his daughter was too frightened to go to school

"She went back on Tuesday for the first time in four months but I received a phone call from her crying in the toilets begging for me to come and get her.

"We had a meeting with the school about it but nothing came of it.

"No-one is in charge and we're looking to get her out (of the school) as soon as possible."

He said the problems at the school "had a catastrophic impact" on his daughter's mental health.

Scott Edwards, North Northamptonshire Council's (NNC) executive member for education, said: "NNC officers are continuing to work with colleagues from the Department for Education and the school to offer support and to monitor progress."

A spokesperson for Pathfinder Schools said: "Immediately on joining the trust, our CEO commissioned a number of reviews which identified the significant amount of work needed to improve Montsaye after a number of turbulent years and changes in leadership.

"As a result of the reviews, an urgent action plan was immediately implemented. It is encouraging that Ofsted has recognised the accuracy of this plan, though comment it had not had an opportunity to make a significant impact at the time of their visit."

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