Express & Star

Not one parent or guardian attends meeting over troubled Walsall school

An emergency meeting to discuss failings at a troubled school had to be abandoned after nobody turned up.

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The parents and guardians of all 142 pupils at the New Leaf Centre in Walsall were invited to the meeting by council bosses to discuss the school's 'inadequate' Ofsted rating.

But Walsall Council's education chief, Councillor Christopher Towe, said he was 'disappointed' when not a single person showed up to the meeting, which had been called to discuss the way forward for the stricken school.

The centre in Pelsall Lane, Rushall, was given Ofsted's bottom rating across the board after inspectors found a series of failings, including poor behaviour from pupils, dirty facilities, rock bottom achievement and insufficient governance from the local authority.

It caters for some of the most vulnerable children in the borough, many of whom have been excluded from mainstream education.

Walsall Council's Conservative-led administration, which regained control of the authority in May, has vowed to push through the changes necessary for improvements.

Mr Towe told the Express & Star: "We can't allow the centre to continue in this way and we are committed to bringing up standards.

"Sadly, when we arranged a meeting with parents of pupils who attend the centre nobody turned up.

"The meeting had been widely publicised and all parents were written to. It is disappointing because these are children who have been excluded and we want parents to be involved in supporting them."

Mr Towe said he planned to visit the centre in the coming weeks as part of the council's commitment to drive up standards.

A recently appointed interim headteacher, Phillip Sharrock, and an interim senior secondary leader were already 'beginning to halt the decline in standards', according to Ofsted.

The board of governors has been re-constituted, with the council's director of adult social care Paula Furnival now in the chair.

"We know we have got to do things differently," Mr Towe said, adding that the school had submitted a statement of action to Ofsted and its progress will be monitored when they next inspect the school.