Damning Ofsted for Bristol school where pupils fear ‘fights and attacks’

South Bristol’s biggest school has received a damning Ofsted inspection report, with inspectors rating every aspect of the school as ‘inadequate’.

Inspectors reported that pupils and staff at Merchants Academy in Withywood do not feel safe because of all the fighting and violence that regularly breaks out, pupils’ learning is “severely compromised” by poor behaviour, expectations of younger pupils are too low and management the school trust has failed to support the school and has no capacity to improve things.

The failings at the school, which has nursery, primary, secondary and sixth forms so that children can attend the same school from the age of three to 18, are so serious that Ofsted now recommends that the school only employ experienced teachers and not younger teachers. or those at the beginning of their teaching career. The chairman of the trust that runs the school said they were “devastated” and admitted that as trustees they had “done a bit of a screw up”.

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All six of Ofsted’s grading categories: quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, early years provision and sixth form provision, are rated inadequate, and the overall effectiveness of the school is also inadequate. The school was rated as ‘requires improvement’ and placed in special measures at its last inspection in February 2020 and has gone from ‘Good’ to ‘Unsuitable’ in a series of inspections in 2014 and 2017.

The most recent inspection took place on March 19 and 20 this year, just two weeks after new headteacher Guy Swallow took over the secondary school side of the Merchants Academy. Mr Swallow is the fourth headmaster the secondary school has had in two years.

Inspectors found that not only did the school fail to teach its pupils well enough, it was also an unsafe school to be in – either as a pupil or a member of staff.

“Pupil learning is seriously compromised by poor behaviour,” wrote the inspection team, led by Lydia Pride. “In recent months, older students have seen a sharp increase in incidents such as fights and assaults. Students often defy reasonable requests from staff. Although the school has managed to restore order to some extent, an uneasy atmosphere remains.

“The school does not always provide a safe environment,” the report added. “In the secondary phase, students receive confusing messages about how they should behave and how this will be handled. A significant number of sixth form students behave antisocially. Older students sometimes face bullying and intolerance from their peers. The school does not know who is affected and therefore cannot protect these students effectively,” he added.

Low expectations

Hartcliffe and Withywood, where the Merchants Academy is based, has one of the lowest levels of 18-year-olds going to university – Bristol Live revealed research in 2018 put this at just 8%, compared to 100 % of 18-year-olds. who live in Clifton and go to university.

Ofsted inspectors highlighted a drop in academic performance from a “strong start” in pre-school provision for three and four-year-olds, with criticism at every stage there.

“The strong start children make in nursery is not supported. School is not ambitious for all children. For example, some children do not learn phonics from the beginning of the reception year. As a result, some of the most disadvantaged students are held back when they should be learning to read. This makes it very difficult for them to catch up with their peers,” the inspection team reported.

“Students face a reduced curriculum as the school tries to address significant gaps in their knowledge. Key Stage 2 pupils did not learn maths subjects,” they added.

“Student attendance is very low. Over time, many students missed a lot of school,” they wrote. “As a result, they have significant gaps in their knowledge, including in reading and mathematics. The curriculum does not address these gaps effectively. Therefore, these students continue to fall behind and fall short of their potential. The school’s curriculum is not designed or taught in a way that allows students to learn successfully, taking into account their starting points,” they added.

Last year, the school was criticized by parents and local politicians when it completely scrapped all of its A-Level academic courses, leaving students scrambling to find another sixth form to attend at short notice.

The school, which is part-run by the University of Bristol, has been criticized by South Bristol MP Karin Smyth and local councilor Kerry Bailes for not offering the kind of educational opportunities that could help improve the area’s status as a place where 18-year-olds years. you don’t go to university

The Ofsted report was equally damning, calling careers education “basic”, adding “many pupils do not benefit from some of its key features such as work experience and independent careers advice”. The report added that a “significant proportion of pupils” in Key Stage 3 learn a reduced curriculum in English and Spanish because they “need support with the basics of reading”.

Ofsted inspectors also said expectations of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) were “too low”.

The Venturers’ Trust Failures

The school is run by the Venturers Trust, a partnership between the Society of Merchant Venturers and the University of Bristol. The school was originally established as a replacement for the old Withywood Comprehensive, which closed in 2008, it was rebuilt and renamed the Merchants Academy when it was taken over by the Society of Merchant Venturers, who renamed the school and transferred it to become an academy.

In 2017, SMVs established the Venturers Trust with Bristol University to run all Merchant Venturers schools apart from the fee-paying Colston’s School.

Following a series of Ofsted inspections in 2022 at the Venturers’ flagship secondary school, Montpelier High – formerly Colston Girls’ School – the Venturers Trust has announced it is effectively winding down, with its Bristol schools being taken over in a ‘merger’ with E. – Act with confidence in multiple academies.

In the new inspection report, Ofsted is confusing in its assessment of Venturers Trust and its management of Merchants Academy. “The trust has failed to support improvements in pupils’ behavior and attendance since the last inspection. Sometimes student behavior is dangerous. This affects the wellbeing of both pupils and staff, leading to widespread absenteeism,” the report said, later adding: “Over time the trust has failed to support the school with its challenges. As a result, the quality of the school’s work deteriorated.

“The quality of education is not at an acceptable standard. The trust does not have the capacity to make the necessary improvements. The school relies on external support for guidance. Some early signs of improved behavior have given staff cause for optimism. However, it is too early to tell whether these improvements can be sustained,” the report added.

What does the Venturers Trust say?

In a lengthy statement to Bristol Live, Venturers Trust chairman Gail Bragg, a member of the Merchant Venturers Society, said they had let the pupils down. “We are devastated that the Merchants Academy has failed to provide young people and their families with the quality education they deserve and as administrators we have failed to provide the challenge and support the school needs,” she said.

“For that we are truly sorry. Despite the hard work and determination of so many people who have applied their expertise to improve the school, we have not been able to move the dial far enough or fast enough,” added Ms Bragg, who is non-executive headteacher, who worked in large financial services organizations, in change and operational management.

“I know the Ofsted report will be painful to read for everyone in the school community, but I am confident they will never read a report like this again. Under the inspirational leadership of our new Directors Guy Swallow and Sarah Flannigan; with the growing support of parents and carers who want to help create a school the community can be proud of; and with E-ACT’s power to deliver rapid improvements, the future of the Merchant Academy will look very different,” she added.

In a letter to parents, Venturers’ Trust interim CEO David Moran and Merchants Academy new head Guy Swallow told parents they were sorry.

“While the report makes difficult reading, we believe it is a fair reflection of what it feels like to be a part of the Traders Academy,” they wrote. “Inspectors identified numerous challenges and made it clear that not enough was being done to ensure that all children received the best possible education. For that we are truly sorry.

“It is equally devastating for staff to read such a damning report as this. We share the determination to give students the best possible start in their educational journey, however, we have not been able to achieve this goal,” they added.