Ofsted has reported instances of racist language from students and learners’ discomfort from “blurred” boundaries between staff and pupils at a university technical college in Reading.
UTC Reading, run by Activate Learning Education Trust, was rated ‘inadequate’ by inspectors in a report published today following a visit in February – its first visit in eight years because of the exemption from routine inspections as a result of its previous ‘outstanding’ rating.
The watchdog reported that “the boundaries between staff and pupils are blurred. Pupils describe staff as ‘more like friends than teachers’. Some pupils told inspectors that this makes them feel uncomfortable.”
It continued: “Several pupils made serious allegations about staff directly to inspectors during the inspection. Too many pupils told inspectors that they had not felt able to report them to school staff. Pupils told inspectors that, in one case when they did report serious concerns to staff, these were dismissed.”
