Maltings Academy in Witham visited by MP Dame Priti Patel

Witham MP Dame Priti Patel and Lords Education Minister Baroness Diana Barran visited Maltings Academy, in Spinks Lane, last week.

They met with the school’s leadership team, parent representatives, pupils, and the chief executive of the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET).

Following an Ofsted inspection last year, Maltings Academy received a ‘requires improvement’ grading for its overall quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and more.

Turning things around - Left to right: Johanna Thompson, regional director at AET, Michelle Hughes, executive principal of Maltings Academy, Baroness Diana Barran, Minister for school systems and student finance, Priti Patel MP for Witham, and Leanne Abbott-Jones, Principal Designate of Maltings Academy (Image: MP Dame Priti Patel)

However, even prior to that report, which was published in December 2023, the school had been making changes over the last 18 months to address issues, concerns and complaints that have been raised.

Dame Priti has been working alongside the school, the AET which runs it, Ofsted and the Department of Education.

After her visit, she said: ‘I have been pressing AET and Maltings Academy for almost a year about the growing concerns that have been brought to my attention affecting pupils at the school.

“I would like to thank the Department of Education, Baroness Barran in particular and Ofsted for working with me and for the way in which they are assisting with addressing these concerns directly, including by meeting parents.

“The education of Witham’s young is so important that when issues in our schools arise they cannot be ignored.

“We all have a duty and responsibility to create the best educational environment for all pupils and to nurture and support them to reach their full potential.

“I look forward to seeing considerable improvements at the school, post the recent Ofsted, and the ongoing dialogues I am having with both the Department for Education and local families.

“I want our secondary schools to be the best and that also means providing every pupil with the best education and the best opportunities as they develop into young adults.”

The Ofsted report said: “Pupils’ experiences at Maltings have been affected by an unsettled and turbulent time for the school.

“Significant staff changes and absence meant that there was little consistency for pupils.

“This has reduced the overall quality of their experience.

“Expectations of how well pupils should behave and achieve are not consistently high enough.”