Department for Education threaten to withdraw funding to multi-academy trust

The Department for Education has threatened to withdraw funding to a school that for many years was considered to be one of Bristol’s best.

A ‘termination warning notice’ has been sent to the multi-academy trust (MAT) who run Montpelier High School following the recent Ofsted report which ranked the school as inadequate.

The DfE send such letters to academy trusts about poor or inadequate performance or weaknesses in safeguarding, governance or financial management.

Venturers Trust are responsible for eight schools and are sponsored by the Society of Merchant Venturers and the University of Bristol.

There continues to be debate whether the controversial Society of Merchant Venturers – who until a few years ago kept Edward Colston’s fingernails and hair at their headquarters in Clifton – should have responsibility for the education of 3,500 pupils across our city.

A replica of the statue of Colston was for many years kept on display at the school formerly known as Colston’s Girls’ School, whose students used to annually celebrate the slave trader’s birthday.

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Read more: ‘The Society of Merchant Venturers need to get out of our democracy’

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DfE regional schools commissioner for the South West, Hannah Woodhouse, wrote to the members and trustees of the Venturers Trust giving them notice of the termination warning in respect of Montpelier High School.

In the letter published on the gov.uk website, Woodhouse wrote: “I received an Ofsted notification dated 7 June 2022 confirming that Montpelier High School was judged to be inadequate and has serious weaknesses. For the reasons set out below, I now consider it necessary to issue this Termination Warning Notice:

“• The arrangements for safeguarding have been found not to be effective. There is not a strong enough oversight of safeguarding issues, compounded by weaknesses in systems and record keeping. In addition, there are inconsistencies in the way that leaders follow statutory guidance when handling allegations about staff. Leaders do not ensure that every member of staff has essential safeguarding training.

“• Some pupils say that they are bullied frequently at school. These pupils do not believe that their concerns will be acted on. Pupils have stated that they do not have a trusted adult to which they can report concerns.

“• The quality of education is not good enough. The curriculum in some subjects is not yet planned so that pupils learn what they need to reach ambitious goals. This limits the range of knowledge that pupils, including students in the sixth form, can learn. The curriculum does not prioritise early reading sufficiently.

“• Teachers do not use assessment effectively. At times, pupils are given work that does not match their needs. In particular, the content chosen can lack ambition and be too easy.

“• Some pupils are not able to read accurately when they arrive at the school. Leaders do not use assessment precisely enough to identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge. They do not provide a phonics curriculum where needed.

“• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have mixed experiences. In some subjects, they receive the support they need to learn the curriculum successfully. Where pupils with SEND are less well supported, it is because staff do not understand their needs well enough.”

Montpelier High School used to be called Colston’s Girls’ School – photo: Martin Booth

The DfE have given Venturers Trust until Friday to make any representations on their warning to terminate funding, which would not just be in relation to Montpelier High School but also to the other schools within the MAT.

Woodhouse wants evidence that the trust “is making sufficient improvements” at Montpelier High School and that they are able to ensure effective safeguarding of pupils across their other schools, which include primary schools Barton Hill Academy, the Dolphin School and Fairlawn, as well as Merchants’ Academy in Withywood.

The DfE have asked for evidence that the trust is able to “deliver effective school improvement at its academies”, as well as specific information “on the action being taken to support education improvements” at Montpelier High School.

Montpelier High School principal Kerry McCullagh – photo: Martin Booth

In a statement, Venturers Trust CEO David Watson said that Montpelier High School is “taking a rigorous and systematic approach” to improving.

He said: “In line with standard procedure following an Ofsted inspection rating of Inadequate, the members and trustees of Venturers Trust have received a termination warning notice, in respect of Montpelier High School, from the Regional Schools Commissioner.

“We strongly believe that Venturers Trust has both the capacity and expertise to support the school on its journey to deliver rapid improvement in all areas identified by the Ofsted inspector.

“We are writing to the Regional Schools Commissioner to provide evidence of the extensive work already under way to significantly improve the school, with particular emphasis on safeguarding, leadership, governance, staff training and curriculum development.

“We continue to work very closely with our board of trustees and sponsors alongside the school’s senior leaders and governors, taking a rigorous and systematic approach to ensure that the right level of support and challenge is provided and that everyone in the school feels safe.

“We are also listening carefully to staff, students, parents and carers as we develop and implement the future strategy for Montpelier High School, all of whom share our determination to make the school an excellent place to learn and work once again.

“I am confident that we are putting in place all the components necessary to rapidly improve the school and to ensure that every student can thrive, not just academically, but in every aspect of school life.”

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Listen to Montpelier High School pupils and headteacher Kerry McCullagh reflect on the school’s name change in the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:

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Green Party shadow cabinet member, Christine Townsend, is scathing in her criticism of Venturers Trust.

She told Bristol24/7: “So Ofsted and now the regional school commissioner confirm what those of us close to the state education system have known for many years, that – and I quote John Whitehead, an ex head of Montpelier High School, that ‘the Merchant Venturers are not fit to run schools’.

“When their now convicted child sex offender ex headteacher Alistair Perry was in court, three members of the governing body chose to write character references for the accused, despite the testimony of an ex student who gave evidence for the prosecution.

“One of these three men still has his name emblazoned on the side of a Montpelier school building, sending a clear message to both the staff and students about who the organisation values and defends.”

Main photo: Venturers Trust

Read more: Bristol secondary school rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: