Cornelius Vermuyden School, in Dinant Avenue, has been visited by inspectors for the second time since it was placed in special measures.
Shortly after the inadequate rating in November 2023 Desi McKeown, headteacher at the Deanes School in Thundersley, was parachuted in alongside the South East Essex Academy Trust, thanks to the trust’s track record of making major improvements in schools.
Cornelius had its first monitoring visit in September 2024, where inspectors found “significant change in the leader,” and praised the school for putting together a rapid improvement plan.
A new second monitoring visit took place in December, and showed even further improvements, after the report was revealed this week.
The letter stated: “You, your senior team, trustees and designated leaders have successfully secured a culture of safeguarding.
“The improvements seen in our last visit are now embedded into the ethos of the school, which supports the most vulnerable pupils and protects them from harm.
“The school’s work to improve attendance has begun to show signs of impact. The tracking and early intervention seen in our last visit have resulted in absence decreasing. The school’s curriculum meets the ambition and breadth of the national curriculum.”
At the time of the inadequate inspection in 2023, inspectors found major issues around behaviour, as staff “felt unsafe” and pupils “planned fights” at school.
The recent letter added: “You have made it clear all staff have a responsibility in managing behaviour. This has resulted in greater consistency in how staff routinely apply the agreed procedures.
“The actions you and your senior team have taken to improve the quality of education has impacted on how pupils behave. A significant number of pupils no longer have their learning routinely disrupted. However, this improvement in behaviour has not been fully replicated around the school.”
Despite major progress, there is still more work necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures. However, HMCI is of the opinion the school now may appoint early career teachers with the restriction lifted.
Executive headteacher Desi McKeown said: “The progress acknowledged by the inspectors is recognition of the focus, hard work, commitment, and collaboration of our students, staff, trustees, and the SEEAT trust. We are on a journey of rapid improvement.”