Ofsted inspectors said some staff at Acland Burghley "dress in a business-like fashion", but that some are "too casual" 

Published: 6 March, 2014
by RICHARD OSLEY
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TEACHERS at Acland Burghley dress too casually to inspire their pupils, while students answer back and use bad language, a standards inspector has warned in the latest scathing assessment of the Tufnell Park secondary school.

And Ofsted, which has enforced special monitoring measures on the school in Burghley Road, say it is not improving fast enough after being placed in the “requires improvement” bracket of Ofsted’s four-rung scoring chart.

The school has been under extra scrutiny since an initial inspection at the start of the academic year in September.

That report meant the school was automatically handed regular monitoring visits, the latest of which has led to a stinging letter from inspector Mark Philips to Acland Burghley headteacher Jo Armitage. She has already announced she will leave the role in August.

The school has not tried to hide the latest blow dealt by Ofsted and told parents in its weekly newsletter that Mr Philips had not left the school singing its praises.

But his findings were uploaded to Ofsted’s website on Monday, revealing where he thought the school was not performing well enough.

His letter to Ms Armitage said: “Overall, I was disappointed by the lack of pride shown in students’ books. Too many books are uncared for and poorly presented; too much work is not completed to a high enough standard… It was telling that, on several occasions, students apologised spontaneously for their handwriting or for the quality of their work when I asked to see their books.”

He added: “The lack of pride in books is mirrored in other aspects of the school environment – for example, in corridors and display boards. Students are not required to wear school uniform. Some staff take your lead and dress in a business-like fashion. However, in other cases, teachers’ attire is too casual and does not promote high professional standards or expectations.”

The pressure on the school is in contrast to the good reports it has historically been more familiar with. It has been a popular choice for parents over the years. So much so, in fact, that parents on the Camden and Islington border in Tufnell Park brought legal proceedings 10 years ago to stop admissions being reserved for pupils at Camden’s primary schools. 

There is some level of division among parents about whether the school is being treated harshly over the series of inspections.

But Mr Philips added: “My visits to lessons and observations around the school revealed continuing concerns with the behaviour of some students. This included answering back when challenged and talking over the teacher’s instructions. I saw evidence of jostling and excessive boisterousness around the school and I heard some unacceptable language at break times. This poor behaviour was mostly by boys.”

The school is currently working with recruitment consultants in the search for a new headteacher. An advert for the job says it is looking for a candidate who can be “both open and honest in relationships with the school’s key stakeholders as well as having the confidence to make shrewd judgements for the long-term benefit of the school, however difficult they may be.”

Interim chairman of governors Dr John Clark told parents before half-term that the latest visit had led to discussions about how the school could improve at a faster rate.