Primary school is denied outstanding rating by Ofsted for being 'TOO ENGLISH'

A HIGH-achieving country school has missed out on top marks from Ofsted after inspectors slammed it for being too English.

Headteacher of Middle Rasen Primary School with pupilsSWNS

Headteacher of Middle Rasen Primary School, Melonie Brunton with some of her pupils celebrating thei

Middle Rasen Primary School in rural Market Rasen Lincolnshire was marked down for a shortage of black and Asian children even though the town is 97 per cent white.

The school won huge praise from Ofsted for the quality of its management, teaching and pupils but missed out on an “outstanding” grade because the youngsters’ limited “cultural development.”

The headteacher blamed the harsh mark on a backlash from the Birmingham ‘Trojan Horse’ Islamification plot.

Outraged parents today hit out at Ofsted’s bizarre criticism.

Mother-of-two Kirsty Egen, 29, said: “I think it’s ridiculous. I have no doubt that if there were non-white children attending they would make sure they were accommodated and the children interacted.

“But they can’t force people to come. The school has been victimised, it seems very vindictive to just mark them down for something they cannot change.”

Melonie Brunton, Headteacher of Middle Rasen Primary School, LincolnshireSWNS

Melonie Brunton, Headteacher of Middle Rasen Primary School, Lincolnshire

Mum Jody Miller with daughter Dylann Miller age 6SWNS

Mum Jody Miller with daughter Dylann Miller age 6

Jodie Miller, 35, mother of Dylann, six, added: “We are a small rural community in Lincolnshire, there just aren’t many children here from different backgrounds. The staff can’t just wander the streets forcing people to come and attend.

“There are only around 100 pupils in the school overall. You can’t expect there to be that many from minorities in that number. It’s bizarre to punish them for being too English.”

Another parent Tina Green said: “It’s not even like the school is entirely white. There are ethnic pupils here, it’s just that not many ethnic people live around here, but that is an entirely different matter. It doesn’t seem fair.”

Headteacher Melonie Brunton accepted the criticism saying she would try to set up a partnership with an inner-city school to meet inspectors’ demands.

She said: “We would have liked to be ‘outstanding’ but we were very pleased to have got the very positive comments.

“Everybody, the staff and the pupils have worked hard. The problem is that we are a rural Lincolnshire school and that is always going to be an issue. We try to do things but not enough.

Middle Rasen PrimarySWNS

Middle Rasen Primary School did not receive an outstanding from Ofsted

“It’s a case of them having to find something you have to develop. Very good things are happening here.”

The recent ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal in Birmingham saw Islamic groups take over boards of governors and force out teachers unwilling to support hardline Muslim ideals.
Ofsted criticised the schools involved for giving pupils “a narrow world view.”

Referring to the plot Ms Brunton said: “I felt the Ofsted comments were a backlash against the Birmingham Trojan Horse issue. Ofsted are very keen on British values.”
Middle Rasen primary school has 104 pupils aged 4-11.

It was handed a satisfactory rating during their last inspection in December 2012.

In their latest report they were praised for their vast improvements but were handed a “good” grade - just short of “outstanding” after being told to boost pupils’ understanding of the “cultural diversity” of modern Britain.

The report also stated: “The large majority of pupils are White British. Very few are from other ethnic groups and currently no pupils speak English as an additional language.

“The school needs to...create opportunities for them to have firsthand interaction with their counterparts from different backgrounds beyond the immediate vicinity.”

School trips usually involve visits to the countryside, such as farms and zoos. But since the inspection, the children travelled to Derby where they visited a mosque as well as the Rolls-Royce factory.

A spokesman for Ofsted said: “All schools must teach pupils about fundamental British values including mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. “That way they will be prepared for the future wherever they go.”

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