Update: Parents call for head of failing school to be sacked

We reported how Dines Green Primary School was rated inadequate by Ofsted inspectors after a damning report said there were "serious flaws" in its ability to keep pupils safe.

Headteacher Sara Longmire is currently on sick leave, confirmed to parents in a letter from chair of governors David Morphy.

And there are calls on a Facebook page for Mrs Longmire – herself an Ofsted inspector, reporting on other schools as recently as 2015 – to be dismissed.

The page, called 'Headatdinesgreen', was set up earlier this year after parents said they become concerned about the school.

Parents commenting on it say they also want the current governors replaced in the wake of the report –although they stand by the majority of the staff.

Parents were invited to a meeting on Monday where a preliminary plan for supporting the school was unveiled.

This includes looking for a trust to sponsor the school and transform it into an academy.

In the meantime, Babcock Prime, which now provides Worcestershire's school improvement services, will help the school along with the Rivers Trust and a mentor head, Vivienne Cranton, will work with the leadership team.

A parent behind the Facebook page, who wants to remain anonymous, said: "Since the report came out people have used the page as a voice.

"We didn't start this to ask for the head's dismissal but that is now our main aim. Our second aim is to recruit new governors.

"A meeting was held on Monday and answers were not given to the many questions the school had asked parents to send in.

"We understand that setting the page up may seem a bit extreme, but people are talking about the issues and are free to post their support for or against the head and governors.

"At this current point in time, since the inspection in 2015 our children are not receiving a proper education.

"It is the children who are missing huge chunks of their education and change needs to happen."

Mrs Cranton, who is principal at Black Pear Trust, said she will be mentoring the leadership team but stressed her trust is not looking to take over the school.

She said: "One of the reasons the local authority has asked me to support is because I've worked with schools in special measures before.

"What happens once the school is there is monitoring and the rigour of the monitoring and the robustness of the school improvement is quite incredible really.

"All the stops are pulled out by everyone to ensure the children don't suffer."

She added Dines Green had a dedicated team of teachers and she was confident the improvements would succeed.

Update: Worcestershire County Council has provided a statement from the school.

The deputy headteacher, Emma Grace, said: "This school and all its staff remain confident that the improvements needed can be implemented.

"The headteacher Sara Longmire is currently off work for medical reasons but the deputy head, Emma Grace, will be supported by a mentor headteacher during the absence.

"Prior to Ofsted publishing its inspection, the school arranged for a mentor headteacher to work alongside Mrs Longmire to help us gain a clear understanding of what needs to be done to improve outcomes for all our pupils.

"She will support and strengthen leadership and also work closely with Governors on a temporary, part time basis.

"All schools placed into special measures by Ofsted are now converted into academies, under Government legislation introduced in 2016. We have now started the academy transformation process."