A TROUBLED West Somerset school has been visited by a Government education inspector just days after the employment of a senior manager was terminated when he opened an investigation into allegations of bullying among staff.

Interim deputy head Mark Foden was ‘let go’ in December by Beacon Education, which runs the 390-pupil Danesfield Middle School, in Williton.

The following week, Ofsted inspector James Oldham made a ‘monitoring visit’, the first since the school was inspected and rated ‘requires improvement’ in June, 2023.

Mr Oldham’s report, which has only recently been made public, concluded significant efforts had been made to improve Danesfield’s quality of education.

He said: “Trustees, trust leaders and school leaders are prioritising the right improvements.

“They have strengthened leadership at the school and are sharply focused on improving the curriculum for all pupils.

“The school has also focused on improving the quality of staff’s teaching.

“This has started to enhance the implementation of the curriculum.”

However, Mr Oldham said some of the improvements were still in their early stages, so it was too soon to evaluate their impact.

Mr Oldham said Beacon’s trustees had strengthened their oversight of the school’s progress against its improvement plans, which were clear and precise.

He said: “Trustees are now providing the right balance of support and challenge.

“It is crucial they maintain this balance to ensure improvements to the quality of the school’s work are sustained.”

Mr Oldham also found Danesfield was determined to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

He said considerable work had been put into ensuring pupils’ needs were identified and assessed accurately, including for pupils with particular behaviour needs.

Mr Oldham also referenced ‘significant changes’ to the school’s leadership since the 2023 Ofsted inspection.

Parents were rocked in July of last year when Danesfield was suddenly closed for a week due to not having enough senior leaders in place to run it.

Beacon then brought in a three-strong interim senior leadership team, which included Mr Foden, of whom only interim headteacher David Terry now remains.

The Department for Education (DoE) also enabled a merger of Beacon with the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust (BWMAT), a process which should have happened last August.

The DoE stepped in after two other Beacon schools, Minehead Middle School and Minehead First School, were issued with ‘termination warning notices’ in 2023 and 2022.

Mr Terry told the Free Press this week: “We are pleased Ofsted has recognised our commitment to supporting every student’s personal and academic growth.

“This is testament to the dedication of everybody involved, the resilience of our students, and the ongoing support of our school community.

“We acknowledge there is still work to do, but we are excited to continue building on our progress and working together to support every student in reaching their full potential.”

Mr Terry said looking ahead, the school was committed to further enhancing its curriculum and providing opportunities for every child to flourish.