South Tyneside school Ofsted inspection waste of money

St. Mary’s Tyne Dock inspection this week

I know that South Tyneside Council and it’s local education authority is not directly responsible for the scheduling of Ofsted inspections of schools in South Shields, but this week’s inspection at St. Mary’s primary school, South Shields, by the education watchdog bothers me. So much that it ought to be described as a complete waste of public resources.

The school has recently been operating under “special measures” designed to bring it up to standard after poor Ofsted inspections in the past, and has also been earmarked for closure. The final decisions on the closures under the TOPS (Transforming our Primary Schools) are now not due to be taken until after the May local government elections, which will conveniently take account of political considerations for certain schools such as St. Bede’s in Jarrow. However, it is understood that St. Mary’s, Tyne Dock will amalgamate with All Saints C of E primary school at it’s site in Biddick Hall, South Shields, at the beginning of the next autumn term. Pupil numbers at St. Mary’s have been allowed to reduce drastically over the past couple of years and moves are already progressing to appoint a new head for the amalgamated school.

So what, exactly is the point of driving forward an inspection of a school doomed to closure? Why spend this money at all, and what affect does the inspection have on the morale of the staff who are about to move to a new location? One hopes that the result of the inspection might vindicate the work by staff at St. Mary’s and show a massive improvement in standards since the last inspection, such a result might also sit kindly on the CV of one Karen Pemberton the head teacher of St. Mary’s.

Just six days ago Ms. Pemberton was reprimanded by the General Teaching Council in Birmingham where she admitted unacceptable professional conduct. The former head of Eastbourne School in Darlington (also operating under “special measures”) was reprimanded for failing to keep an accurate register at the school, which had one of the worst truancy records in the country, she was suspended from the school after a damning audit by Darlington council in May 2005. Under Ms. Pemberton’s headship the Eastbourne School was ranked 182nd. out of the 200 worst secondary schools for GCSE results and was amongst the 200 worst secondary schools in England and Wales for truancy. The GTC reprimand will remain on her record for the next two years.

So it may be much more to her advantage than that of her staff and pupils to achieve a good inspection this week from Ofsted.