‘I am really optimistic we can fix it’ says principal of Milton Keynes school issued with termination warning notice
The principal of a Milton Keynes school that was issued with a termination warning notice earlier this month has said she is “really optimistic” the situation can be turned around.
Principal of Stantonbury School, Natasha Bryan, was speaking publicly for the first time since the school was issued with the notice by the Department of Education prior to the start of the new academic year.
The Department for Education issued a termination warning notice following an Ofsted report in July which confirmed that the academy was judged to require special measures.
The notice is a formal warning letter which requires the trust managing the school to implement an improvement strategy, and demonstrate it is in place, otherwise its funding agreement will be terminated.
The academy was issued with a similar notice in November 2020, when it was part of the Griffin Schools Trust.
It is now part of the multi-academy Tove Learning Trust.
In a video interview with students posted on the school’s Facebook page Ms Bryan admitted that she didn’t know “what’s going to happen next.”
She then spoke about the process that would be followed by the Department for Education, saying that the school had “submitted loads of documents showing what we have been doing and the feedback from it.”The letter stated: “His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.”
The Ofsted report identified three areas requiring urgent improvement - Achievement, Attendance and Behaviour and Leadership and Governance.
It also said the area of Curriculum and Teaching needed attention but did highlight how the school was meeting expected standards in the areas of Inclusion, Personal Development and Post-16 Provision.
The letter says the Tove Learning Trust must now demonstrate “it has the capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy.”
Ms Bryan added: “If the Department of Education don’t believe Tove as a trust can maintain this school, it means that over time this school will get transferred to another trust.
“It is a paperwork exercise rather than any physical closing of a building.
“I think we have so much that we can do at Stantonbury, and we want to do.
“We as a trust are committed to doing it as quickly as we can, because although we are sad that we are in this situation, we are really optimistic we can fix it.”
The Citizen has approached Stantonbury School for comment.