The Griffin Schools Trust, which runs Stantonbury International School, has been warned that its Government funding could be withdrawn.
The Trust, which runs 13 schools in the Midlands and South East of England, took over Stantonbury School, with its 1,900 students, in September 2016.
Since then, the Purbeck-based school has received the two worst possible Ofsted ratings.
It was placed into special measures back in June following a snap inspection earlier this year. “Many pupils do not feel safe attending this school,” said Ofsted in a hard-hitting report. “They feel intimidated by others’ conduct.”
“Pupils are right to be concerned. Leaders have not been effective in managing pupils’ behaviour. It is increasingly rowdy and sometimes dangerous.”
The school then responded to the report with an action plan to improve the school.
But The Department for Education (DfE) has since issued The Griffin Schools Trust a termination warning notice.
Dame Kate Dethridge, Regional School Commissioner, said in a letter to Mr Trevor Edinborough, Chair of the The Griffin Schools Trust, that she remains "concerned" about the future of the school.
She adds that the Trust fails "to account for the poor outcomes" at the school since they took ownership in 2016. Dame Dethridge shares concerns that the Trust also failed to "demonstrate how leadership at trust level, will be improved and how trustees will hold trust leaders to account more effectively in order to secure the improvement required at the school".
The termination warning notice also called out The Griffin Schools Trust for how it operates three secondary schools, with two performing "well below" the national average.
The Trust must now outline a final improvement plan before the DfE takes further action, which could include withdrawing funding or even enforced closure.
A spokesperson for The Griffin Schools Trust said "The trust's understanding from the regional school commissioner was that no final decision to rebroker the school to another sponsor had been confirmed."
© MKFM News 2020
