Concern over school's 'phenomenal' staff turnover

Carrie, whose son attends the school, feels the trust that runs it "needs to listen to the staff"

Parents have raised concerns over the "absolutely phenomenal" turnover of staff at their children's school.

Oakbank Secondary School, in Ryeish Green, Reading, lost 29 members of staff in the eight months until the end of May.

There were also 102 pupils suspended from it in the same period, parents said.

The school said that staff "acknowledge parents' concerns and agree that change is needed" and were " tirelessly working on a school improvement plan".

The secondary school was built on the former Ryeish Green site

The school is part of an academy trust, which means its day-to-day running by its head teacher is overseen by a charitable body.

Anthem Schools Trust runs five secondary schools and 11 primary schools.

According to a Freedom of Information request, it employed 70 members of staff at the school in September 2023.

Between then and May, 29 teachers and support staff left and 23 new people were employed.

Carrie, who currently has a son at the school, said her concerns first started when its Ofsted report was published in January.

It was given a rating of requires improvement in 2020 and earlier this year.

Carrie said: “From when the report came out in January, it almost felt like Anthem Trust had put a bulldozer through the whole team and from then on, the staff turnover has just been absolutely phenomenal.”

She said there was a sense of “disruption” at the school for the children.

“They’ve had a phenomenal amount of supply staff. And these are lessons where they’ve not really been taught anything.

“On top of this, a lot of the staff aren’t familiar with the children and without that sort of relationship, there’s just no trust there.

“The children feel like they are left behind with their learning. So, my son's in year 10. I’m quite concerned about his GCSEs next year as a consequence.”

Oakbank Secondary School opened in 2012 on the former site of Ryeish Green School, which was closed in 2010 due a fall in pupil numbers, according to Wokingham Borough Council.

Between September 2023 and May 2024, 29 teachers and support staff left the school

Another parent said she was worried about the lack of support her child was receiving.

She said: “You’re in this vicious cycle. People don’t want to go there so the trust aren’t necessarily going to support it and put more money into it.”

Carrie feels the trust "needs to listen to the staff and the school".

She said: “I think they [the trust] need to listen to the previous staff and actually question why they’ve had so many staff leaving them.

“How much support are they actually giving the school and how invested are they in the school?”

The trust has held forums and written to parents to discuss the staffing issues and its plans to improve the situation in the new academic year.

A school spokesperson said: "This term we have made significant strides: we are fully staffed, have appointed a strong leadership team with a proven track record in school improvement, and invested in high-quality learning materials to actively fill any gaps in students’ knowledge.

"Our new behaviour policy and therapeutic support have led to improved student conduct, with a 17% drop in suspensions from the spring to summer term," it added.

"There has been a dramatic increase in effective teaching, and we are committed to continuous professional development for our staff. We believe that excellent teaching leads to excellent behaviour, and we are dedicated to ensuring this standard is met."

Update 4th October 2024: A line has been added to state that the trust has held forums with parents to discuss their concerns and plans for improvement.