Holland Park School Ofsted rating downgraded to inadequate

Holland Park School has a distinctive mesh-like metal exterior

An academy school mired in controversy over safeguarding practices has been downgraded from "outstanding" to "inadequate" by Ofsted.

In May, Holland Park School in Kensington, west London, was found to have a "culture of fear and favouritism".

An investigation by its governors uncovered "public humiliation" or shouting used as a behaviour policy.

Pupils and teachers were also subject to sexism, Islamophobia and racism.

The school announced last year that former headteacher Colin Hall would retire early, while a new chair of governors was appointed.

Now Ofsted has concluded that "turbulence" in the school's leadership had "destabilised" the school community.

Inspectors found many aspects of school life, including pupils' behaviour, had "declined substantially" since a previous inspection seven years ago.

The inspectorate said that pupils and staff had "welcomed the governors' intervention to stop previous behaviour management strategies that they deemed unacceptable".

However, behaviour policies had not been updated, leaving a "vacuum" with staff and students confused over how to deal with unacceptable behaviour, some of which was spilling into the local area after school, Ofsted said.

Some findings of the governors' investigation:

• An inappropriate response to the case of a teacher who was found to have had a relationship with a pupil

• Inappropriate use of the isolation room

• Open discussion at staff meetings about the personal appearance of teachers

• Rapid promotion of newly qualified teachers to positions of senior leadership without appropriate training or experience

• Inappropriate sharing of confidential information

• Staff questionnaires relating to the Ofsted inspection of January 2020 were destroyed at the instigation of some senior leaders

A spokesperson for the school said: "Ofsted has independently identified many of the long-term, historical weaknesses which governors have also been concerned about, and which they have been working extremely hard, with school leaders, staff, and external partners, to put right.

"These serious problems were also set out in the independent investigation report and in the Notice To Improve that the government issued to the school last year.

"We now ask that the whole school community comes together and unites around a strategy to support the school to reach the standards that our students deserve."

The Department for Education previously issued the school with a Notice to Improve in November, highlighting financial mismanagement as well as leaders' "excessive salaries and failure to seek prior approval from the government for 'novel and contentious' expenditure".

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