Security concerns, including an unlocked gate, were found at a Wirral private school that charges parents up to £17,328 a year to send their kids, a new report has found.
Birkenhead School, based on Beresford Road in Oxton, is an independent fee-paying school and one of the leading schools in the Merseyside area having been named the Sunday Times top independent secondary school for the North West region this year.
The school has a capacity of 1,050 pupils taking children from nursery to sixth form.
While very positive about many areas of the school, an inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate between 1 and 3 April raised security concerns about the school and said the school had failed two key standards.
The report published on 16 June said, “Leaders do not ensure that the welfare of pupils is safeguarded and promoted by the effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy.
“For instance, several site and access risks were identified by inspectors during the inspection that had not been identified by the school. Leaders do not ensure that staff are clear about which aspects of risk management and premises maintenance they are accountable for.”
The school was told it must take action to make sure “the leadership and management demonstrate good skills and knowledge … fulfil their responsibilities effectively, so that the other standards are consistently met,” and “they actively promote the wellbeing of the pupils”.
This was so operational procedures could be delivered consistently and effectively and the school said its attendance policy needed to be kept up to date.
Governance and leadership was one of the issues raised as the report said “governors’ oversight is not sufficiently rigorous to ensure that policies and procedures in relation to risk assessment and site management are implemented consistently and effectively across the school”.
As a result of the security issues, the school failed to meet standards in this area as well as standards around pupils’ health and wellbeing.
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Paul Vicars, the headmaster of the school, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), “The school is disappointed that the inspectors felt that the standards were not met with respect to the security of the school site.
“There have been no incidents of note that have led to this finding, but during the three-day inspection, the inspectors observed an unpadlocked gate, a broken keypad code awaiting repair, and expressed the need for greater supervision of pupils on departure from the site at the end of the school day.
“A consequence of these observations, frustratingly, is that inspectors are also required to record the standard relating to leadership, management and governance as not met.
“All appropriate measures, including additional fencing and staffing rotas, have since been put in place to rectify the concerns.
“The School looks forward to welcoming inspectors back to Birkenhead School when they return to check that the relevant measures have been put in place.”
Despite the criticisms in the report, the school was still highly praised. It met standards around education, training, and recreation, safeguarding, as well as their wider education and contribution to society.
The report said, “Leaders successfully promote the delivery of the aims of the school. The core values, which include respect, responsibility, resilience and inclusivity, help staff to create a positive environment where pupils value each other’s differences.
“Relationships between pupils and staff are positive and pupils are supported and well prepared for the next phase of their education and their future lives.”
Inspectors found pupils made good progress at all stages, grades were above average, and teachers created positive learning environments. SEND provision and safeguarding was found to be effective, with checks carried out on new staff.
The report said, “The views of the school council are listened to and there is a pride from pupils who take part in this. Pupils in all sections of the school enjoy taking on additional responsibilities, including becoming prefects, and they flourish in terms of their self-esteem and self-confidence.”
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) said, “Pupils are successful in a range of sports and regularly compete in sporting fixtures with other schools. Creative activities, including drama productions, are well attended and have a positive impact on self-confidence for those taking part.”
Mr Vicars said they were pleased with a number of aspects of the report, pointing to their Sunday Times award, adding, “It is pleasing that some of the core pillars leading to this award have been recognised by the ISI Inspectors, including the School’s commitment to co-curricular activities and students’ wellbeing.”
He added, “In the meantime, many students are coming to the end of their public exams as the academic year draws to a close on Friday, 4 July. Last year, the School achieved outstanding results, recording 60% 9-7 grades at GCSE, and 83% A*-B grades at A Level.”
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