Montpelier High School threatened with funding withdrawal after 'inadequate' Ofsted rating

The government has threatened to withdraw funding from Montpelier High School in Bristol after it received an 'inadequate' Ofsted rating.

Inspectors who visited the school, which was once considered one of the best in the city, said they found bullying, ineffective safeguarding and that the quality of eduction was 'not good enough'.

The Venturers Trust, who run the school, have been issued with a termination warning notice.

In a letter sent to the school, Hannah Woodhouse, the Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West, wrote: "I received an Ofsted notification dated 7 June 2022 confirming that Montpelier High School was judged to be inadequate and has serious weaknesses.

"I now consider it necessary to issue this Termination Warning Notice."

The letter went on to ask bosses at the school to provide written evidence of sufficient improvements which will assist the Department for Education in their decision on whether to terminate the funding agreement.

• Watch ITV News interview with David Watson from the Ventures Trust

David Watson, the CEO of the Ventures Trust, told ITV News: "We want all of our children to feel happy in our schools and therefore were are taking a very strong approach to implementing really effective behaviour systems.

"We want to listen to our children, all our children and respond appropriately to them, and to ensure that they feel safe in our schools and that parents have the confidence that we will do things in accordance with our policies."