Pupils at a Liverpool school have been "failed for far too long" by "exceptionally poor" results and a dramatically restricted curriculum, a damning new Ofsted report warns.
Inspectors slammed The De La Salle Academy in Croxteth , saying pupils were left with "extremely wide gaps" in their knowledge after a period where the school ran a reduced curriculum.
Ofsted had particularly strong criticism for the school's levels of progress for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, with "hardly any" achieving standard passes in English, Maths or Science GCSEs.
However the school's headteacher has hit back at the school's inadequate rating, saying it doesn't reflect progress made in recent years.
Serious financial problems at De La Salle a few years ago had previously led to it dropping geography, art, technology and music entirely from the curriculum at one point, though most subjects have since been reintroduced.
The report reads: "Pupils have been failed for far too long at The De La Salle Academy . Leaders and trustees have not done enough to improve the school.
"Across the school, pupils’ achievement is exceptionally low in too many subjects. Current pupils have extremely wide gaps in their knowledge and understanding.
"Leaders and teachers do not expect enough from pupils. Pupils have very weak mathematical skills.
"In 2019, pupils’ attainment in mathematics declined to an all-time low. Current pupils are not faring any better."
Specific areas such as pupil behaviour and development were singled out as positives in the report and headteacher David Hayes said he felt the parts of the report didn't capture the school's progress.
Mr Hayes said: “While we acknowledge and accept their findings, we don’t believe that the tone of the report really reflects the progress that is being made.
“We are on a journey where we are systematically addressing and challenging the “deep rooted culture” they highlight. Significant work has already been undertaken over recent years to get to the core of these issues to continually strengthen the school.”
He said issues at the school were being tackled, with the maths department now fully staffed "for the first time in memory" and a link up with St Edward's College reaping results for the school.
Mr Hayes said: “For all of these reasons, we do not believe that the term Inadequate really reflects the progress that has been made. We are a school that knows our problems and we are tackling them with purpose and belief. This is not something that we shy away from. In fact, ensuring the school is right for our young people is what drives us on.”
