An academy trust in charge of two Farnham primary schools has been told it could have its stewardship of a school in Farnborough stripped unless there is a major transformation at the primary.

Hale Nursery and Primary  School in Farnham joined the Kite Academy Trust on October 1, 2019, and is currently rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, while Folly Hill Infant School joined on March 1, 2022, and is currently rated ‘outstanding’.

But after another Kite Academy school, The Ferns Primary in Farnborough, was recently downgraded to ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted  inspectors, the Department for Education has sent a “termination warning notice” to the trust, saying the funding agreement for the school could be terminated.

The department was concerned over the “extreme behaviours” of a “significant minority of pupils” at the Field Road, Farnborough, school and said it required “significant improvement”.

The Secretary of State issued the notice to the members and trustees at the academy trust and said enforcement could kick in if Ofsted’s chief inspector gave notice that special measures at the school were required.

The Department for Education (DofE) letter said the warning notice was issued because too many pupils experienced “substantial disruption to learning”, that younger pupils were “not learning to read quickly enough” and that “too many pupils left school without the essential knowledge they need to be well prepared for secondary”.

Dame Kate Dethridge wrote: “As regional director, I need to be satisfied that the trust has capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy.

“If I am not satisfied that this can be achieved, I will consider whether to terminate the funding agreement in order to transfer the academy to an alternative academy trust.”

Responding, the school’s trust board said The Ferns had been struggling prior to joining the Kite Academy Trust in June 2019.

It said in a statement: “Our response to the termination warning notice issued by the Department for Education outlined the journey of the school before its conversion to an academy as part of the Kite Academy Trust in June 2019. 

“Previously, Hampshire County Council had found it difficult to appoint long-term, consistent leadership which had resulted in low Ofsted gradings throughout the school’s history. 

“This instability had led to the governors pursuing a more stable situation and exploring opportunities to academise with local multi-academy trusts.

“Given the implementation of the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, there was a very short window to make improvements however we were able to ensure stable leadership. 

“The pandemic led to a significant increase in the social and emotional needs of the children, which has manifested in some extreme behaviours being displayed particularly in the younger aged children. 

“Despite these challenges, we are, however, pleased that the Ofsted report celebrates the strong leadership and clear vision in the school.

“We are currently working with the Department for Education to decide the best way forward for the children and families in the school, which has included continuing to work closely with Hampshire Education Department to support those children who are struggling emotionally and finding it difficult to regulate their behaviour.”