HEADTEACHERS and education leaders insist they are taking action to improve Southend secondary schools, after nearly a quarter of them were branded inadequate.

Education watchdog Ofsted’s latest annual report is heavily critical of secondary education in the borough.

The report points to the fact inspectors currently rate three of Southend’s 12 secondary schools – Cecil Jones College, Chase High School and Futures Community College – “inadequate”.

A fourth, St Thomas More High School, is in the “requires improvement” category.

However, Southend Council says since inspectors made these assessments, it has worked hard with headteachers and governors to improve all four.

Interim executive boards of experienced governors, business professionals and education experts have been appointed to ring the changes at Cecil Jones and Futures colleges in Southend.

Similarly, Chase High nowhas a board of trustees helping it to do better Ofsted inspectors have been making regular visits to the schools since they were placed in special measures.

The most recent interim Ofsted inspection found Futures, in Southchurch Boulevard, Westcliff, was making strides to improve.

Anne Jones, Southend councillor responsible for education, said: “In its previous incarnation, Futures has been in special measures for ten or 12 years.

“There are very entrenched issues in that part of town and there was a decline in standards over a great deal of time.

“Their interim report said senior leaders were providing much-needed direction to the school. The interim executive board has experienced members, who support staff recruitment and are regularly involved in activities.

“The 23 per cent figure will not change overnight but there are positive signs.”

Cecil Jones College, in Eastern Avenue, was put in special measures in March.

However, its most recent interim inspection report said it was “starting to bring about some of the improvements necessary to raise standards”.

Chase High School, in Prittlewell Chase, is still rated “inadequate”, but was not put in special measures. Headteacher Victoria Overy said she was confident of turning the school around.

She said: “Ofsted had faith in us and our leadership and we are in the process of turning around a very big ship.

“About 40 teachers have left since I arrived and we now have teachers pulling in the same direction.

“If the children see the grownups know what they are doing, then we are going in the right direction. By next summer, we will not be on the ‘inadequate’ list any more.”

The Ofsted report, which looks at schools across the Eastern Region, said: “Local authorities, academy chains and schools’ senior leaders need to be more ambitious for their pupils and learn from good practice to improve the quality of secondary schools in these areas.”

Watchdog highlights the blight of poverty

THE Ofsted report also highlights the effect poverty has in dragging down academic achievement.

Southend, it says, shows the widest difference in GCSE results between children eligible for free school meals – a common yardstuck for deprivation – and other pupils.

On the positive side, the borough, with its four highly-rated grammar schools, is one of the highest-performing education authorities in the region at GCSE level. However, the report says: “This picture of performance is bolstered by the grammar schools, which import a very large proportion of their pupils from outside the area.

“This leaves a large number of local children, often the most deprived, to suffer poor education in too many of the nonselective schools.”

The issue has not gone unnoticed, however.

Fiona Brierly headteacher of Southend High School for Girls, recently told the Echo she wanted to improve links with local primary schools to encourage more local children to pass the 11-Plus exam.

She said: “I’m really conscious of this school becoming the Southend grammar school for Southend’s pupils and taking more pupils from the local area.

“We want to build up relationships with primary schools now, to make the school available to them.”

How Ofsted rates our non-selective schools

Belfairs Academy Good (May 2013)

Cecil Jones College Inadequate (March 2014)

Chase High School Inadequate (November 2013)

Futures Community College Inadequate (March 2014)

Shoebury High School Good (May 2013)

St Bernard’s High School Good (May 2012)

St Thomas MoreHigh Requires Improvement (July 2013)

Eastwood Academy Good (September 2013)