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Trust responsible for Carlton le Willows Academy issues update after school was slapped with ‘Termination Warning’

It has emerged that a notice was issued to Carlton le Willows Academy on January 27,

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A Trust responsible for a school in Gedling has issued an update to parents following an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report.

It has emerged that a Termination Warning Notice was issued to Carlton le Willows Academy on January 27, meaning the Government cash funding tap to the academy was at risk of being turned off by the Secretary of State.

The Department for Education noted that arrangements for safeguarding at the school are not effective, leaders do not accurately monitor the attendance of pupils who are educated off site or of students in the sixth form, and leaders are not assured of these pupils’ welfare.

It stated governors and trustees have not consistently met their statutory responsibilities nor provided a level of rigorous accountability for leaders.

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It also said leaders have not ensured there is a well-planned and sequenced curriculum in place for all subjects.

Other concerns raised in the Ofsted document included that weak readers at the school are not supported enough, the curriculum is not designed for all pupils, especially those with special education needsa and disabilities, to ensure they can succeed, and that pupils are not as well equipped for life in modern Britain as they could be.

Following the issue of the notice, Jon Garibaldi, chairman of Greater Nottingham Education Trust, who run the school, issued a letter to parents, seen by Gedling Eye, updating them on the situation.

He wrote: “As has been reported, Carlton le Willows has now been issued with a Termination Warning Notice. This is usual after a negative Ofsted judgement and formally sets out the powers the Department for Education has to step in and withdraw funding if needed. However, no such withdrawal of funding takes place if the Department proceeds to transfer the Academy into a new trust.

“The DfE is now working to find a suitable sponsor for the Academy.

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“Once identified (expected to be around the end of April), we at GNET will be tasked with finalising the transfer. This new trust will then provide enhanced support to ensure Carlton le Willows returns to being an excellent school at the earliest opportunity.

“In the meantime, trustees and governors are working together with Academy teachers to address the changes that need to be made following the Ofsted report.”

Mr Garibaldi said that although the Termination Warning Notice does not apply to Netherfield Primary School, he said trustees will be working with senior leaders and local governors to select the best destination trust for Netherfield Primary once the situation at Carlton le Willows is known.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. I detect jiggery-pokery with respect to changes in the governing trusts – all in it to make money from education. The best thing would be to revert back to local authority control as it was before the spectre of academisation raised it’s head. The first academies were only meant to boost local authority education provision in areas of deprivation not take over completely. All schools have been more or less blackmailed into academisation with promises of better funding. Well, we know how that’s worked out with some schools having to raise funds for basic needs. Another public service being in effect privatised with tax payers cash.

  2. What Mr Garabaldi fails to inform you is that the trust board no longer has the power to choose which Multi Academy Trust (MAT) CLWA joins. The reason for this is that at a governors meeting 12 months ago the trustees added an agenda item at the last minute. He failed to explain why the trustees had done this. Over the next 12 months the governors & trustees became embroiled in bitter exchanges. Both governing bodies joined forces to oppose the trustees “fait au conplee” & there followed months of conflict between both governing bodies & the trustees. This resulted imo in an “inadequate” OFSTED report. This now transfers the power to join a MAT to the Regional Director of the D of E making the trustees impotent. Unfortunately there is no doubt in my mind that the reputation of CLWA had been tarnished & it will take some time to regain it. The staff & pupils are a credit to CLWA. It is still imo an excellent school.

  3. And amongst all this ….it is the pupils who suffer
    There has been poor communication from GNET, no admission of fault and nothing that comes anything close to an apology to the pupils
    Absolute incompetence and a fundamental failure of trust
    It’s quite remarkable that Mr Weaver, the head teacher and i believe the CEO of GNET scapered pretty fast in his vintage rollsroyce , funded by his £220,000 pa salary along with yearly pension contributions amounting to 30k
    It is quite criminal, yet this incompetence and greed will go unpunished….at the expense of the pupils standard of care and education

  4. Francis Rodrigues, do you not take your share of responsibily for this? That’s odd because the governers were specifically held to account by OFSTED. I quote ‘Governors and trustees have not consistently met their statutory responsibilities’. That is you, is it not? Or was it someone else’s fault?

  5. Will someone answer Russ Gimbley’s request for admission of fault and or something that comes anything close to an apology? I’m sure those resposnsible are reading this. I know your names., Am I showing a lack of respect? In your eyes I would guess I am Just to add, my daughter was the only one at her linked school who chose Carlton Academy over Carlton Le Willows. Her teacher told us it was the right decision. She is doing very well.

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