A DAMNING Ofsted report has labelled Tavistock College as ‘inadequate’ and said bullying is rife.

The report, released yesterday, said the day-to-day life of the school is disrupted by poor behaviour.

Children ’ do not feel safe in school’ and are ‘frightened’ to use parts of the school.

They do not feel they can report bullying because ‘they cannot identify an adult they would report a worry to’.

Giving the secondary school an overall ‘inadequate’ rating, the report said that ‘behaviour and attitudes’ and ‘leadership and management’ were ‘inadequate’.

The quality of education provided ‘requires improvement’ as does the ‘personal development of pupils’.

The only aspect of the education rated ‘good’ was the sixth-form provision.

The report is based on a visit to the school which was conducted by Ofsted on May 25 and 26 this year.

The report said: ‘The day-to-day life of the school is disrupted by poor behaviour. Leaders aim to provide discipline and support for pupils who struggle with their behaviour. However, their approach has not been effective, and the standard of behaviour has deteriorated.

‘Many pupils do not feel safe in school. Some are frightened to use parts of the school due to the intimidating and risk behaviour of some groups of pupils. Pupils describe incidents of unruly behaviour. Truancy during lesson time presents an ongoing challenge for staff.

‘Bullying is widespread. Pupils say teachers do not resolve issues well enough. Many pupils cannot identify an adult they would report a worry to. There are pupils who are subjected to derogatory language based on their individual characteristics. Leaders have failed to create a positive culture in which pupils respect and value one another’s differences.’

While the curriculum for the academically able was praised as allowing them to progress to sixth form, there was criticism that ‘teachers do not adapt learning well enough to meet the needs of pupils who are likely to struggle’.

Responding in an official statement, a college spokesperson said the college was ‘on a journey of improvement’.

‘We are deeply disappointed with the findings of the recent Ofsted report, and understand the upset this may have caused our college community. Ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all our students and staff is of paramount importance to us, and we have always strived to foster an environment which is inclusive and respectful, where everyone feels safe. We agree the report’s findings are wholly unacceptable, and as a College we are already putting plans into place to urgently rectify to these issues.

‘Some of the immediate steps we took as a College include introducing nurturing, relational approaches for students, fully reviewing our approach to teaching and learning, working closely with parents and students to address the usage of mobile phones and developing a new anti-bullying policy.

We are also committed to providing staff with additional training opportunities to ensure they are equipped with the tools to effectively support students with a wide-range of issues. These actions are part of an ongoing strategy to ensure the College is a safe, welcoming and inclusive space for everyone.

‘We are on a journey of improvement and would like to thank our students, staff and parents for their patience and ongoing understanding, as we work in partnership to positively shape the future of the College.’

An information evening has been arranged for Wednesday, September 28 at the college in the main hall for parents to hear how the college is trying to improve.