Brooksbank School in Elland deemed unsafe by Ofsted

The school said "swift action" had been taken following Ofsted's findings

Pupils fear for their safety at a secondary school where violence, racism and sexual harassment are rife, inspectors have found.

Students at Brooksbank School in Elland, West Yorkshire, did not trust staff to protect them from danger, Ofsted said.

Sexual harassment was "distressingly common" and children expressed fears of being "jumped", the watchdog said.

The school said "swift action" had since been taken to make it safer.

As a result of the two-day inspection in February, the school was rated inadequate with improvement required around quality of education of sixth form provision.

'Inappropriate touching'

The report's authors said: "The school is not a safe place for pupils. Physical violence, bullying, discrimination and harassment are common. Many pupils fear for their safety.

"Leaders must act immediately to ensure that all pupils are safe in school at all times."

Staff described a culture of sexual harassment, inspectors said, with some pupils experiencing "shocking threats of sexual violence".

"Many pupils regularly experience inappropriate comments. There have been a number of instances of inappropriate touching and assault," they said.

"Leaders are not doing enough to protect pupils from these experiences or reduce the risk to pupils."

Inspectors also found students were "discriminated against because of their race and religion" and claimed children regularly heard racist language.

Homophobia was also rife, the report said, adding: "Pupils are also targeted because of their sexual orientation. Pupils hear discriminatory language, such as homophobic language, every day."

Inspectors noted that pupils praised some individual staff who did their "best to support them" and that guidance they received about future careers was "useful and extensive".

After inspectors shared their findings, the school said it "took swift action to secure immediate and rapid school improvement" and changes had been implemented that "have transformed how we support students".

It said systems had been brought in "to ensure any negative behaviour is dealt with effectively".

"We would like to acknowledge the support from our school community and local partners," it said in a statement.

"We are working together with others to ensure that the changes we have already made are securely embedded and that the school can move forward confidently."