Educ8 Liverpool school rated 'inadequate' amid safety concerns
Educ8 Liverpool caters for children who have been out of education for some time, with the majority having special educational needs.Inspectors gave the school a "requires improvement" rating on their first visit in July 2023 but the report published last week showed the school had since worsened.
'Significant risk'
Inspectors acknowledged the school's ability to help some pupils gain qualifications in English and mathematics, but expectation of pupils' potential was low and many were not achieving as they should. One of the main factors in poor performance identified by inspectors was the school's failure to maintain accurate and up-to-date attendance records, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.They said some pupils missed out on their education when the school sent them home as a result of negative behaviour."Added to this, weaknesses in the culture and practice of safeguarding mean that the school does not fulfil its duties to protect pupils from harm," it added.Educ8 Liverpool's approach to behaviour management was flagged as a serious problem with staff often resorting to sending pupils home to "cool off", sometimes without a formal suspension process, which constituted "unlawful suspension". Inspectors said this presented a significant risk to children's safety.The watchdog did find those who attended regularly were typically happy at school and were able to progress through difficult learning challenges due to the caring relationships that staff built with them.
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