Students at 'risk of harm' at Send school

A Send school and college has been rated Inadequate after staff were not knowledgeable about the risks of "harmful sexual behaviours", Ofsted said.

Columbus School and College in Chelmsford, which was previously rated Good, received the classification following an inspection in May.

The school, which taught children with special educational needs and disabilities, had apologised and said it was taking swift action.

An Ofsted report stated: "Staff are not knowledgeable of risks such as harmful sexual behaviours. There is a lack of professional curiosity when reporting a behaviour incident to ensure that there are no wider safeguarding concerns."

It continued: "This means some risky behaviours are not being reported as a safeguarding concern or escalated quickly enough, and so are not fully addressed. This leaves pupils and staff at risk of harm."

The school, which caters for students aged three to 19, recently had a high staff turnover, Ofsted said.

Inspectors also noted that the sixth form does "not prepare students adequately for life beyond school or adulthood."

Marie Goldman, Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, said: "It is really, really worrying and very, very concerning.

"We are seeing places in the report which is saying pupils and staff are at risk of harm, and that is really deeply concerning."

She added: "When parents entrust their children's care to schools, at the very least, those children should be safe, and shockingly, this is not the case with this school."

She said the school had "questions to answer" and was happy to work alongside the school.

A spokesperson for Lift Schools, an academy which Columbus is part of, said: "We are absolutely clear: this is not where any of us want Columbus to be. We are deeply sorry.

"Everyone at Columbus and across Lift Schools is fully committed to putting things right."

It added that training was implemented following the inspection, and its principal had been dismissed.

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