Bexhill school told by Ofsted to do more to tackle 'poor behaviour and bullying'

Inspectors visited Bexhill High Academy and gave the school a ‘requires improvement’ rating for behaviour and attitudes of students.

The report said: “Many pupils want to do well and enjoy attending school. However, those who do not enjoy school express concerns about behaviour and bullying. Although most pupils feel that bullying is dealt with effectively, they are less confident that poor behaviour is managed fairly across the school. Leaders are taking action but there are yet to be sustained demonstrable impacts.”

Catherine Davies, executive principal, said: “The reality is we always knew this had the potential to be a challenging inspection. Not only has the way that schools are evaluated completely changed as a new and more challenging framework has been brought in, but we, like so many schools, are also still dealing with the consequences of the pandemic.

“We are, however, delighted the inspectors praised many aspects of our school during their visit. They found that ‘staff are ambitious for their pupils and are clear that there is no ceiling on what they can achieve’, there is a ‘broad and ambitious curriculum’ and that pupils benefit from many activities that help them prepare for their future lives.

“Most importantly they concluded ‘many pupils want to do well and enjoy attending school’, and, as a result, the inspectors felt that many elements of the school continue to be strong and on a positive trajectory.

“That being said, the inspectors also agreed with our own assessments that there are areas that need continued focus and improvement. These are largely linked to three factors; consistency of how lessons are planned and taught, the behaviours and attitudes of a small minority of students, and our support for young people with additional needs.

“Due to these three factors, we did not consistently meet the standards the new Ofsted framework rightly demands for the strongest judgements. While personal development was graded as Good and Ofsted gave us some very positive feedback, we were graded Requires Improvement overall.

“I fully appreciate this outcome does not match the high standards our community should expect and that we demand. I do, however, have every confidence we are moving towards being a Good school, but sadly this inspection came a little too early for us to be able to show and evidence that fully.”