Notes of Meeting 8th March 2023

Parent and carers tell local authority what they most value about KES

Information collected from parents and carers on what they most value about King Edward VII school (KES) was presented to the local authority at a meeting on Wednesday (8^th March).

It follows an Ofsted report published in January 2023 which rated KES as inadequate and led to a directive academy order which will see KES taken out of council control and placed with a multi-academy trust (MAT).

Over 3,000 people have now signed a petition which states: “We strongly believe that if we are unable to challenge and stop forced academisation, then the governing body and teaching staff should have a real say in the choice of the academy.”

The results of a survey completed by around 200 parents on what three things they most valued about the school or why they chose it for their children placed no uniform, having experienced and knowledgeable staff and the breadth of curriculum and other activities such as sport, art, music and trips at the top of the list.

Presenting the results to the meeting, parent governor Mike Heselton said 96 of the 185 responses he analysed mentioned no uniform as being important, not for its own sake but because of the individuality it allowed.

Second of the most mentioned categories was the teaching style and how experienced and knowledgeable staff were able to build rapport with pupils and go beyond a one size fits all approach.

A broad curriculum with lots of options and flexibility also came out strongly in the responses with the school treating students as individuals with their own preferences, aspirations and abilities while also encouraging them to be confident and critical thinkers.

Around 30 parents also specified that they would not want to lose the ethos of a school that they see as supportive but not pressured, pupil focused but also diverse.

The meeting also heard responses from parents who valued the welcoming atmosphere, did not discipline for the sake of it and had a friendly vibe.

Additional analysis of feedback from 200 parents and carers by parent governor Kate Williamson also showed ‘remarkable’ consistency including that no uniform is a popular policy that encourages a sense of self among pupils.

She also pointed to breadth of curriculum being important to parents and carers and pupils and there was praise for the school’s pastoral policies from a number of respondents.

There was a recurrent theme throughout the responses that KES is historic presence in the city and there is an enthusiasm for its independence – a word that came up time and time again, the meeting heard.

Details from the parent and carer survey on choice of MAT were also presented noting that 400 responses were received in just three days.

In all 86% said they wanted the academisation process to be delayed and 74% said should it go ahead they would prefer a small local trust as an MAT sponsor for the school.

Minerva Learning Trust – the MAT whose secondary schools include Ecclesfield, Handsworth Grange, High Storrs, and Stocksbridge – was the preferred candidate.

KES had previously been in discussions to join this MAT a few years ago before it fell through over the private finance debt associated with the lower school building.

Chorus and Tapton were the next two most popular MAT choices. Mercia Trust was another option that seemed to polarise parents, the meeting heard with 80 in favour but 217 who said they would not want the MAT to be the sponsor.

Kevin Straughan, director of education and skills at Sheffield City Council assured those at the meeting they would relay what parents had said and the depth of feeling to those in the Department of Education (DfE) who would be making the decision of which MAT would be selected.

He added that they had their first meeting with the DfE which was “extremely positive” and he believed there “was a desire to listen”.