Holgate Meadows: Redundancies at 'inadequate' Sheffield special school over 'significant financial’ troubles

Staff at Holgate Meadows School were reportedly informed of upcoming job losses in a meeting on June 14. A letter to staff on June 9 told them the agenda for the meeting would be “proposed redundancy, budget deficit and decline in pupils numbers”.

The school – which at its last full inspection in 2022 had 93 students – says it it facing “significant financial hardship” and will be restricting the number of pupils its admits in the short term due to “underfunding”.

Sources close to the school – which was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in June 2022 – told The Star up to 13 teaching assistants and members of support staff are at risk in the ‘first round’ of redundancies. It is unknown if this will later expand to teachers or other members of staff.

When approached for comment, the school did not confirm how many jobs and what roles were at risk.

Chair of the interim executive board, June Williams, said in a statement: “Holgate Meadows School is facing significant financial hardship, in part due to the underfunding of some pupil places.

“The governors are in a process of opening a consultation with staff and unions and we have agreed with the local authority to reduce the number of pupils admitted to Holgate Meadows in the short-term to enable the school to make much-needed improvements.

“Nobody wants to be in this position, but it is our duty to be able to run the school to an in-year balanced position. We will continue to deliver education to our pupils, and will do all we reasonably can to support staff through this process.

“We are in the process of opening consultation with staff and will now use this period to listen to their views and reflect on what has been proposed before further decisions are taken. In this process we are of course open to looking at alternative ways to make the improvements that we need in order to provide the sustainably great education that the pupils so deserve.”

Holgate Meadows School was rated ‘inadequate’ by the education watchdog following a visit in March 2022.

Inspectors heavily criticised its interim executive board for not having a “clear vision” for the school, while students reported they “do not feel safe”.

In May this year, a new report from a follow up visit found the school was back on track and was a “more pleasant and calm place to be”, but it still could not yet be removed from special measures.

The school is reportedly in the process of joining Nexus Multi Academy Trust, whose roster of 15 schools are principally special schools. They include Discovery Academy, Becton School and Kenwood Academy.

It comes as another Sheffield special school, Bents Green, this week announced it will also seek to join Nexus MAT while criticising the city council for “no longer” having the means to support their students.