A SOUTH Lakeland school which was placed in special measures following a scathing Ofsted report is pressing ahead with plans to heighten site security.

All but one of the inspection criteria were found to be inadequate when inspectors visited Queen Katherine School (QKS) in Kendal in December, with safeguarding among the chief concerns.

MORE TOP STORIES:

In the report released in February, inspectors noted "the site is not safe and students do not fell safe". It was QKS' view that safeguarding findings had meant all other inspection areas suffered as a result.

Although QKS is in the process of complaining against the report and appealing its outcome, head teacher Jon Hayes said plans to erect a perimeter fence to improve site security will continue.

"We will go ahead with plans to secure the site because whatever the outcome of the complaint we need to make sure this can never happen again," he said. "That will be starting in the next couple of weeks.

"The fence and other security measures will come to around £30,000."

While waiting for a response to the complaint, which is expected by the end of March, Mr Hayes said the school will continue to work closely with inspectors to make sure all other areas of the school are up to scratch by the time another full inspection comes around.

He said: "We will be visited by a HMI (Her Majesty's Inspector) anywhere between three and six months from the report and they will visit regularly and then determine when to call another full, two-day inspection.

"That will be another full inspection with a new report."

Despite the critical report received from Ofsted, Mr Hayes said the support from parents had been fantastic, with many struggling to see eye to eye with inspectors.

"We've had lots of meeting with parents and we've received lots of letters which were really nice, saying 'this is not the school we recognise'.

"They know the school don't they – it's the same school as it was before the report came out."