School trust told they could lose funding if improvements are not made

A primary school in Dukinfield has been told by the government they could have their funding cut if rapid improvements are not made.

Ravensfield Primary School was visited by the education watchdog in February, who criticised the teaching, behaviour and achievement at the school. The Clarendon Street site made headlines in January after teachers went on strike over allegations of violence.

According to inspectors, the school has many students ‘lacking the basic knowledge in writing and mathematics’ early on and leads to them falling behind in later years. Lead inspector Jo Olsson led a team of five, who gave a long list of improvements to the Tameside school, scoring them as either ‘needs attention’ or ‘urgent improvement’ in every category.

Now the Department for Education (DfE) has issued Changing Lives in Collaboration Trust, the trust that runs Ravensfield, with a ‘Termination Warning Notice. This notice is essentially a warning that their funding agreement may be terminated due to poor performance, if things don’t improve.

In the notice, Vicky Beer, regional director for North West England at DfE, said: “I need to be satisfied that the trust has capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy. If I am not satisfied that this can be achieved, I will consider whether to terminate the academy’s funding agreement in order to transfer the academy to an alternative academy trust.

“In making the decision on whether to terminate the academy’s funding agreement I will consider any written representations the trust wishes to make in response to this Termination Warning Notice.

“We are mindful of creating unnecessary pressures on school leaders and staff, and as such we would ask the trust to ensure that the appropriate provision is in place to support the academy’s workforce.”

Representatives from Changing Lives in Collaboration (CLIC) Trust, who are in charge of the school, said previously that they are working to make the necessary improvements for the pupils.  

In the report, published on March 27, inspectors noticed how low expectations of pupil behaviour had ‘become the norm’, with challenging behaviour, poor attitudes to learning and a lack of desire to succeed all noted down in their report. Despite this, a new comprehensive behaviour policy is at the early stages of tackling disruptive behaviour. 

Ravensfield was one of two primary schools run by the Changing Lives in Collaboration (CLIC) Trust that went on strike over a number of days in January. Both Ravensfield and Lily Lane Primary School in Moston took to the picket line waving flags and holding placards with messages like ‘zero tolerance to violence’ and ‘out here for their future’.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “A Termination Warning Notice from the Department for Education is a standard part of the process following an Ofsted judgement of this nature and provides an opportunity for the trust and school to update the department on the progress being made and the actions underway to secure improvement.

“We fully recognise the seriousness of Ofsted’s findings and remain committed to delivering the rapid improvements pupils, staff and families deserve. We are working closely with the Department for Education and wider education partners, and are confident that the plans already in place will deliver the long-term improvements needed across the school.

“As Ofsted recognised, leaders have a clear understanding of the areas requiring improvement and positive changes are already underway. We would like to thank staff, parents, carers and the wider school community for their continued support as this work continues.”