Special needs school put students at 'risk of harm' as headteacher sacked
The headteacher of a special needs school in Chelmsford has been sacked after a damning Ofsted report that raised safeguarding concerns.
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It found that staff at Columbus School and College are "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 added.
"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".
Read more: Primary school teacher banned after hiding relationship with child sex offender
Lift Schools confirmed that headteacher Mark Savage was no longer working at the school after the Ofsted inspection that was trigged after parents complained to local authorities.
The school was rated “requires improvement” for education, behaviour and personal development, while leadership, management and sixth-form provision were deemed “inadequate”.
It was previously rated "good" by Ofsted last year.
Marie Goldman, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, previously shared concern over the “dangerous” decline of the school.
“Parents entrust their children to the care of schools. Surely, the very least they should expect is that their children are safe while there. It’s shocking to know that this hasn’t been the case,” she said.
A spokesman for Lift told The Times: “As soon as concerns were raised in the spring, we launched an investigation to explore every allegation in full.
"That process has now concluded, resulting in the dismissal of the principal and referrals to the relevant authorities.
"The school still faces challenges but it is more stable day to day, with children happy and safe.”
They added: “We recognise that we have not, until recently, done a good enough job of providing our children and young people with the level of education and care they deserve.
"We are deeply sorry for that and we remain committed to rebuilding the trust and confidence of our families.”
Columbus School and College teaches students aged three to 19 with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
LBC has contacted Lift Schools for comment.