Children mocked and bullied by staff at special needs school - BBC.com

A special needs school in Bristol has been placed into special measures after an Ofsted inspection found that children were being mocked and bullied by staff. The report found that "the culture and behaviour of staff is not conducive to good teaching or safeguarding". The report said that staff had a negative attitude towards the children, which led to the pupils feeling unsafe and unsupported. The report also found that there were a number of safeguarding concerns. These included children being physically restrained by staff in an inappropriate way, staff making inappropriate sexual comments to children, and staff not acting on concerns about the children's wellbeing. The report found that the school had a "culture of fear" and that children were afraid to speak out about their experiences. The school has been ordered to improve in a number of areas, including the culture of the school, the quality of teaching, and the safeguarding of children. The school is now being run by an interim executive board. The board will be responsible for overseeing the school's improvement plan. The school has since apologized for the failings identified by Ofsted. The school's governing board said it was "deeply concerned" by the report and that it had taken immediate steps to address the concerns raised. The report has led to calls for a review of the way that special needs schools are inspected. Some experts have argued that Ofsted's inspection framework is not appropriate for special needs schools and that it does not adequately take into account the unique needs of these children. The report has also highlighted the challenges faced by special needs schools in recruiting and retaining qualified staff.

Summary

"The report found that the school had a "culture of fear" and that children were afraid to speak out about their experiences. The school has been ordered to improve in a number of areas, including the culture of the school, the quality of teaching, and the safeguarding of children. The school is now being run by an interim executive board. The board will be responsible for overseeing the school's improvement plan. The report has led to calls for a review of the way that special needs schools are inspected. Some experts have argued that Ofsted's inspection framework is not appropriate for special needs schools and that it does not adequately take into account the unique needs of these children. The report has also highlighted the challenges faced by special needs schools in recruiting and retaining qualified staff."