AN “INADEQUATE” south Essex secondary school is failing to protect youngsters from “harm” and “risk of criminal exploitation.”

Ortu Gable Hall School in Corringham is set for new management under The Harris Federation – a massive trust which runs more than 50 schools across London – at the end of the school year.

The school was rated “inadequate” after an Ofsted inspection in May of 2022; a recent monitoring inspection found the school remains inadequate and has “serious weaknesses”.

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Leaders were praised for the progress made to improve the school, however there remained serious concerns over how the school was dealing with safeguarding issues.

In September of last year leaders introduced a programme of training for leaders and staff about their safeguarding duties, with guidance about how to carry them out.

And while records show more concerns are being raised about vulnerable pupils by members of support staff, and action is being taken to support these pupils, this is “not the case for all teachers”.

“Although teachers have received training about their safeguarding responsibilities, records show that not all teachers record concerns when it is clear that pupils are at risk of potential harm. This includes pupils highlighted as being at risk of criminal exploitation,” the latest Ofsted report stated.

Ofsted inspectors added: “Leaders regularly monitor the effectiveness of staff’s use of the new approaches to safeguarding. Leaders’ monitoring, however, is not sufficiently precise to help leaders know how well they are developing an effective safeguarding culture.”

The reported noted the school board had been focussing on the school’s future in a different multi-academy trust rather than immediate improvements.

The Ortu Federation is being dissolved at the end of the year with all three schools heading to new trusts.

Hassenbrook Academy and Corringham Primary School, are to be transferred to the Gateway Learning Community Trust (GLC) pending approval from the Department for Education.

GLC is based in Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary and is comprised of five schools: The Gateway Academy; Gateway Primary Free School; Herringham Primary Academy; Lansdowne Primary Academy; and Tilbury Pioneer Academy.

All of the trust’s schools are rated “good” by Ofsted.