The Deepings School interim headteacher brings in strict new regime as part of his bid to stop school going into special measures

A new headteacher has introduced a strict new code of behaviour in a bid to prevent a secondary school going into special measures.

Interim headteacher Alun Ebenezer acted quickly to introduce a new culture at The Deepings School after taking the post this term. On Monday, 50 pupils were 'excluded' for breaching the uniform policy.

Mr Ebenezer was brought in for the autumn term ‘at least’ by the Anthem Trust which runs the mixed comprehensive after the departure of previous headteacher Richard Lord.

He said it took him less than a day to see what needed to change.

“This school has required improvement for the last two Ofsted inspections,” he said.

“It can either go into special measures or become a good school - it can’t stay as requires improvement again.

“There is enough here to make it a good school, but we can’t do that unless we sort out the environment and culture. Once we do that the school will fly.”

Mr Ebenezer wants to improve standards in school uniform, manners, posture, speech and body language.

Numerous fixed term exclusions, usually for a day, have been enforced for those not meeting standards.

“I have excluded quite a lot of pupils so far, just for a day, and they come to school the next day with their parents and we have a chat,” Mr Ebenezer said.

“At the start it felt like I was excluding a pupil every half-an-hour just to get the point across.

“If I’m still doing that after half-term there will be a problem, but I don’t think that will happen.

“I have told the teachers that the first half-term will be tough, but the culture will have changed by the time the school opens after the holidays. Then it will just be a hardcore left.”

During his 24-year career, Mr Ebenezer, who is assistant director of education for Anthem Trust, helped transform the fortunes of a school in a deprived Welsh community.

He was also founding headteacher at Fulham Boys School in September 2013 which now has 500 applications for 120 places annually.

But he said the attitude of some Deepings pupils was among the worst he had seen.

“In Deepings the majority of pupils are absolutely fabulous and want things to change, and the teachers are some of the best I have worked with,” he explained.

“There are just pockets of bad attitude which we are trying to change.

“With a significant number there is this idea that ‘I won’t do anything that I don’t want to do’.

“The most serious thing is open defiance because if everyone did that there would be carnage.”

The plans were outlined to parents and pupils before term started and met with a mixed response.

About 100 parents met the new head last Thursday, most of whom, Mr Ebenezer said, left happy.

However, a Facebook group has been set up by parents against the changes, claiming the uniform demands will put added pressure on stretched household budgets.

Mr Ebenezer said the school will help those struggling financially, and insisted he and staff are determined to ‘hold the line’.

“Of course there will be people who struggle to meet the standards and we will help them, but we never lower the standards,” he said.

“I believe passionately about strict boundaries because that is where young people thrive, and it makes for a much kinder atmosphere.

“Everyone will push boundaries, but when they see the boundaries are not going to budge, things start to get better.”

The target is to instil a culture of ‘kindness, happiness, safety’ and achievement.

“I want the parents and pupils to have a school which has high aspirations and high standards,” Mr Ebenezer added.

“I genuinely think we can make Deepings one of the best schools in the country. It has the ingredients for

that.”