Tulse Hill: Ofsted cancels inspection of shutting school

Ofsted has cancelled an inspection into a school in south London that was already due to close next summer.

The inspection at St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls, Tulse Hill, was announced on Monday, despite plans being in place for it to shut.

The BBC understands it was called off on Tuesday after both the local MP and the Department for Education intervened.

An Ofsted spokesperson said the body does not comment on individual schools.

Ofsted guidance states inspections are not always needed if a school is closing and no useful purpose will be served.

St Martin's, a 324-year-old school, had already announced earlier this month it would close to Years 7, 8 and 9 in August and then shut completely next summer, after older pupils had finished their exams.

Almost 400 pupils and more than 50 staff currently work and study at the school.

One staff member, speaking anonymously to the BBC, said the reason Ofsted had given to staff for the inspection was that the school was not closing in the immediate future and there were still GCSE and A-Level students sitting exams.

They said staff had been angered by the announcement, with many already feeling "anxious" and "struggling" since the school announced its closure.

The staff member said Ofsted had then called the school on Tuesday morning to say the inspection would no longer go ahead, with Dulwich and West Norwood MP Helen Hayes and the Department for Education having thought to have intervened.

Asked whether they felt Ofsted's structure and procedures needed improving, they said: "It's not serving the purpose of being supportive to schools or parents."

"To make a logical decision they had to be spoken to by so many people, which suggests its a system that's not working," they added.

The school's headteacher Josephine Okokon said: "Our school community is currently facing the challenge of closure, which is inevitably causing a period of stress and uncertainty for our staff and students.

"We respect the important work that Ofsted does in maintaining school standards, however we are fully aware that our staff are experiencing a very challenging time without the added pressure of an imminent inspection - the welfare of our staff and students remains our priority."

The cancellation follows controversy over several recent school Ofsted inspections, including criticism after head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life following an inspection.

In another case, a Cambridge school said it would take Ofsted to court for not following correct procedures in an inspection that left its head teacher feeling suicidal.

The Department for Education, Lambeth Council and Ms Hayes have all been contacted for a response.

Additional reporting by Lauren Stanley.

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