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The mayor of Leicester has claimed a poorly performing city school has ‘blighted the lives’ of its pupils.

Sir Peter Soulsby singled out The Tudor Grange Samworth Academy in a debate about education during a city council meeting this week.

The Labour mayor was condemning the academy system in general and criticising the council’s previous Labour leadership who he said facilitated the removal of schools from council management.

Sir Peter said his predecessors had made a mistake in setting up the Samworth Academy in Trenant Road, off Saffron Lane.

The school, which opened in 2007, now has more then 800 pupils and was rated inadequate by Ofsted following its latest inspection last month.

(Image: Will Johnston Photography)

“Much has been made of the foreign policy errors of the Tony Blair-led Government – and quite rightly – but there are two area of domestic policy that looking back deserve to be apologised for," Sir Peter said.

“One is the Private Finance Initiative and the other is the promotion of academies.

“Also looking back there were two big policy mistakes of the then Labour leadership of the city council.

“One was to take advantage of PFI schemes – the waste collection scheme is one such PFI scheme.

“The other is their promotion of academies in Leicester – particularly the facilitation and promotion of the Samworth Academy which they promoted and has so sadly failed and let down and blighted the lives of so many young people denying them the education that they need in our city.”

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Sir Peter said he consistently campaigned against the academisation and the creation of the Samworth Academy.

He added: “It gives me no satisfaction to say the fears I had at that time have proved correct even though they were brushed aside by the then Labour leadership of the council.

“The academisation of our schools and the creation of free schools in Leicester and elsewhere has led to the fragmentation of education in the UK and has led to it being moved out of accountability of elected representatives.

“Not only do I regret what the Labour Government did but I regret what the Labour leadership of this council did.

"I regret what the Tories are doing now.

“I look forward to the election of a lLabour Government committed to reversing academisation.

“I look forward to the return of a Labour Government that will permit the return of our school system back to local accountability.”

Samworth Academy Ofsted findings Weaknesses Outcomes for pupils are not good enough. Boys, disadvantaged pupils, the most able and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, particularly underachieve. The provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is poor. These pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The use of external funds to support disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities has not had the impact needed. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment, although improving, is inconsistent across subjects and within subjects. In some lessons, learning is inappropriately pitched. Teachers do not consistently follow the whole-school assessment policy. This means that some pupils are not receiving the guidance from teachers they could. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school continues to be high. Attendance is improving, but some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, continue to miss school too frequently. The new leadership in the early years is improving the provision, although children’s outcomes remain low. Teachers’ and other adults’ assessments do not precisely inform children’s next learning steps. Strengths This is an improving school. Leaders’ actions, including those of the trust, have successfully improved pupils’ behaviour. The climate in the school is calm, purposeful and conducive to pupils’ welfare and learning. Pupils feel safe. Talented new leaders have brought added capacity to improve the school further. Middle leadership is a developing strength. The quality of teaching has improved. The curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

The principal responds

The academy’s principal Alan Wilkinson said Sir Peter’s remarks were ‘very disappointing’.

He said: “They do a disservice to the fantastic pupils and staff at the academy and the community which supports us.

“We're sure that the many thousands of our alumni with successful careers would be horrified to be described as 'blighted'.

“The comments appear to use an individual school to make a political point.

“We are a school that needs the support of locally elected politicians, rather than their derision.

“We totally accept that our outcomes are not yet good enough, but we are confident that the improvements seen in the school since it joined Tudor Grange Academies Trust are set to continue.

“The calm, purposeful atmosphere here now provides the children with a school where they are safe, happy and able to learn.

“Since we have been part of the Trust we have been able to recruit and retain outstanding teachers who are specialists in their subject.

“Tudor Grange Academies Trust has a very strong track record of improvement in schools they have sponsored.

“They have a long-term commitment to securing long-term improvement in communities where there have been poor outcomes for too many years previously.

“We invite anyone, including the Mayor, who wishes to see the improvements in the school to come and visit us and speak to our community.’

Former Labour council leader Ross Willmott said Sir Peter’s remarks were gratuitous and out of order.

He said: “My advice to Sir Peter is to raise his game a bit and spend his time and energy attacking a failing Tory Government not his predecessor.”