Academy anticipates challenging Ofsted report
Huish Episcopi Academy has outlined problems at the school after an Ofsted inspection. Although the inspectors report has yet to be published, the school anticipate it will highlight some challenges. The report is expected to highlight issues in leadership and around student behaviour and attitudes. The last two Ofsted reports (in 2019 re safeguarding) and 2017 (when the school was rated “Good”) both found the school to be performing well.
What has gone wrong since then is not immediately clear.
What is clear is that the Board of Trustees have reacted quickly. They have engaged with the Regional Schools Commissioner to work on an improvement programme. They approached a number of Multi Academy Trusts looking for help. Huish Episcopi Academy is relatively unusual in Somerset in that it is a stand alone academy and not part of a large group.
The Trustees decided that the MAT best able to help them was the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. They are the MAT that took over St Dunstan’s in Glastonbury at a point when it was at risk of closure. The last Ofsted for St Dunstan’s was rated “Good”.
Although no firm decisions on the future of the academy have invited two executives from the MAT to take over leadership at the school. Emma Yates and Alun Williams will help out though initially this will be for a matter of weeks.
We did approach the Academy for a comment but to date we have not received a response.
It should not be forgotten that this school used to be Outstanding and secured a Sixth Form before it slipped to Good then the current state of play. Such matters do not happen over a short period.