A secondary school in Upminster has been placed in special measures by Ofsted.

Following a report released today (Monday, April 23) Gaynes School in Brackendale Gardens was deemed “inadequate” in three out of the four areas that were inspected.

The report stated that this action has been taken because the school is “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.”

The inspection took place on Tuesday, February 20 and Wednesday, February 21 this year.

The report states that inspectors found the following:

• Leaders and governors have not taken effective action to address the areas for improvement identified by the previous inspection.

• The quality of education provided by the school has declined significantly.

• Governors do not provide sufficient challenge to school leaders. They do not hold leaders to account effectively.

• Leaders are overgenerous in their views of the school’s effectiveness. Their self-evaluation does not pinpoint the school’s significant

weaknesses accurately.

• Improvement planning is not effective. Plans lack clarity, including how resources will be used to ensure that leaders’ actions make a difference.

• Some leaders lack the time, skills and/or knowledge to be able to do their jobs effectively. As a result, they have been unable to take decisive action to secure improvements, for example in promoting good attendance.

• Pupils’ overall progress is weak. For example, their progress in modern foreign languages and humanities by the end of key stage 4 has been significantly below the national average for the last three years.

• Disadvantaged pupils make inadequate progress over time. In 2017, their overall progress was in the bottom five per cent of schools nationally.

Leaders do not use pupil premium funding effectively. They cannot account for the impact it is having on pupils’ achievement.

• Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. As a result, pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects, and in particular mathematics, French and humanities, are well below expectations.

• Pupils do not have consistently positive attitudes to learning. Low-level disruption is associated with a lack of challenge in teaching.

• The curriculum is weak. The overall progress that pupils make across their optional subjects has been inadequate over the last two years.

Strengths of the school were listed as the following in the report:

• Pupils’ progress in some subjects including English, drama, art and physical education is stronger than in other subjects.

• Safeguarding is effective. Pupils typically feel safe and well looked after.

• Leaders have been able to manage school finances to ensure a balanced budget this year, despite challenging circumstances.

• Pupils’ reading skills are improving as a result of the school’s work.

The school issued an update on its website today stating that as of Sunday, July 1 the school will be joining the Loxford Academy Trust.

To read the full report visit the Ofsted website.The school has been contacted for further comment and the Recorder is awaiting a response.