A troubled Kings Langley school threatened with closure has failed safeguarding requirements yet again.
A monitoring inspection took place at the Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley on February 27. Inspectors recognised improvement in the “way teachers assess pupil progress” and in the leadership of the senior teachers in supporting individual colleagues, which is “starting to have an impact” on individual teachers’ practice.
However, although progress in these areas was evident, the overall standard was not met.
The inspection found errors in school recruitment processes, and as a result, the school did not meet the Safer Recruitment safeguarding standard that had been achieved in autumn last year.
At the time of going to print, a meeting between the school and the Department for Education (DfE) was due to be held to discuss a plan to move forward. One of the main topics at the meeting was the financial plans surrounding the school.
Last year, the Secretary of State for Education intended to remove Rudolf Steiner School from the Register of Independent Schools, which would ultimately force the school to close.
Mr Tim Byford, interim principal, said: “I am confident that all standards relating to quality of education can be met in the very near future.
“Improvements in teaching and learning always require the longest time of any aspect of school improvement. We are very disappointed with the Safer Recruitment issue and have taken immediate steps to correct the mistake.
“The progress towards successfully meeting all of the Independent School Standards continues every day, and the school looks forward to a final monitoring visit to show that it is ready for a full inspection in autumn 2018.”
The school is currently being represented in its efforts to stay open by Mishcon de Reya, a London firm which represented Princess Diana during her divorce from the Prince of Wales.
An Ofsted spokesperson said the report from the school’s recent monitoring will be published once the school half-term is over.
Sir Mike Penning MP said: “The situation at Rudolf Steiner has got better and is improving, but just not enough right now. Ofsted understandably have concerns so we need to wait and see what happens. My interest is in the safety of the children.”
Problems with the school go back to 2016 when the School Inspection Service carried out an emergency inspection following a number of complaints made by parents. Ofsted then found the school to be inadequate.
What do you think of the latest situation at Rudolf Steiner School? Email newsroom@mynewsmag.co.uk
Picture courtesy of Hoss Photography
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