THE West Somerset College was embroiled in a controversy this week, just as inspectors from the schools watchdog Ofsted arrived to assess its standards.

Parents complained that students were being banned from the college’s prom night next month due to not gaining enough good behaviour points.

It follows protests at the Minehead campus in February when students walked out of lessons and refused to go back, with some reports of damage being caused to the premises.

They were complaining at restrictions on using the toilets, a lack of interaction with teachers and governors, and not enough notice being taken of allegations of sexual assault.

The protests resulted in at least three students being expelled from the collage and about 70 others serving suspensions.

Now, many of the students who were involved have discovered they will not be allowed to go to the annual end of school prom night in Minehead Rugby Club.

Headteacher Nikki Doughty said going to the prom was a privilege and not a right.

Ms Doughty brought in a points-based behaviour criteria for the college last autumn to help motivate students who wanted to attend the prom.

Those who achieved fewer than 1,000 points were told they would not be eligible for the prom.

But some parents said the system was unfair and divisive and had caused distress for children who were now not allowed to go.

Ofsted lead inspector Olive Kelly said this week she wanted to hear what parents thought of the college, which has more than 850 pupils aged 13 to 19 years.

She said they could express their views online through the Ofsted parent view website https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk.

Ms Kelly said in a letter to parents: “Ofsted Parent View asks for your opinion on some aspects of your child's school, including the progress made by your child, the quality of teaching, how the school deals with bullying and poor behaviour.

“It also provides a free-text box for you to make additional comments, if you wish.

“The inspectors will use the online survey responses when inspecting your child's school.

“Written comments can also be sent to the school in a sealed envelope, marked ‘confidential’ and addressed to the inspection team.”

When Ofsted last visited in 2020 the inspectors rated the college as ‘good’ but said they had concerns that it might be declining in some areas.

The 2020 team lead inspector Lydia Pride said although school leaders had high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, students told them they experienced disruption in some lessons and felt uneasy as they moved around the campus, and parents also expressed their concerns. 

Ms Pride said despite leaders keeping a close eye on bullying and putting good processes in place to deal with reports, pupils and their parents did not readily report bullying to staff, and leaders needed to win the confidence of families.

The college is currently trying to recruit new governors, who do not need to be a parent of a student, to join the governing body which runs the school.

Ms Doughty said: “Being a governor is a challenging but hugely rewarding role.

“It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people, give something back to your local community, and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment.”