Meadows Primary School 'failing over racism and bullying' Published duration 16 January 2017

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Racism and bullying have not been dealt with quickly enough at a school placed in special measures by Ofsted, according to inspectors.

They visited The Meadows Primary School in Bitton, Bristol, in November and rated it as "inadequate".

They also concluded that the school did not use "appropriate terminology" when referring to different ethnic groups.

The chair of governors said the school was "surprised and very disappointed" by the judgement made public this week.

South Gloucestershire Council also expressed disappointment and said: "We are working with the school to address the areas identified in the report."

In the report inspectors cited teachers who said they did not have confidence in the way the school was led.

It found: "Pupils explained very clearly to inspectors that there have been anti-social incidents in school, such as racism and bullying.

"These are not always dealt with swiftly enough. This was confirmed by comments submitted by some parents during the inspection."

'Discriminatory attitudes'

It stated that the head teacher and governors had failed to promote equality of opportunity.

"Racist incidents are not recorded and appropriate terminology is not always used when referring to different ethnic groups," it stated.

"Some staff, pupils and parents report that not everyone in the school community is treated fairly."

A small proportion of pupils had raised concerns about staff behaviour and "discriminatory attitudes displayed by a minority of staff towards some groups of pupils".

The report said girls, in particular, felt marginalised.

Chair of Governors Sue Wakefield said the overall judgement was at odds with recent external evaluations.

She said: "The local authority will be working with the governing body to develop plans to ensure The Meadows moves forward in a positive direction.

"Staff and governors are determined to implement Ofsted's recommendations to improve outcomes for all pupils."

In November another school in South Gloucestershire, Patchway Community College, was placed in special measures, in part over a failure to investigate racist incidents.