Updates

Response to child safeguarding review at London secondary school (December 2025, National Children’s Bureau)

Fear should have no place in a classroom or staffroom (December 2025, Guardian Letters)

Success of top academy achieved ‘at too high a cost for some pupils’ (December 2025, Schools Week)

‘Rigid’ behaviour policies under fire in safeguarding review (December 2025, TES)

London academy staff instilled ‘climate of fear’ among pupils (December 2025, The Guardian)

How an ‘outstanding’ school humiliated pupils with harsh and harmful discipline (December 2025, Sky News)

Mossbourne’s draconian ‘punishment no matter what’ regime linked to pupils’ self-harm and disproportionately targeted Black boys with harsh sanctions, damning report reveals (December 2025, Hackney Citizen)

Top London school’s success came at too high a cost for some pupils – safeguarding review (December 2025, London Evening Standard)

Strict school ‘harmful’ to some pupils, review says (December 2025, BBC)

Thurrock Council leaders finally challenge Mossbourne publicly and ask minister to investigate ‘climate of fear’ (December 2025, Thurrock Nub News)

Staff at outstanding-rated London school ‘humiliated and intimidated’ children to achieve success ‘at too high a cost to pupils’, damning report reveals (December 2025, Daily Mail)

Publication of Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review – Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (December 2025, CHSCP website)

Mossbourne Academy schools’ complaints and safeguarding procedures ‘generally fit for purpose’ according to review (November 2025, Hackney Citizen)

Council to probe number of withdrawals from local schools (November 2025, Thurrock Nub News)

Questions raised over KC-led ‘independent’ review into Mossbourne schools (May 2025, Hackney Citizen)

Mossbourne Federation announces ‘independent review’ into its own complaints procedures (May 2025, Hackney Citizen)

Ex-Ofsted head urges greater scrutiny of academy trusts (The Times, April 2025)

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the original principal of Mossbourne, writes: “As a former principal of one of the first academies, I want to see them continue to do well as standalone schools or part of education trusts. If this is to happen, then we have to accept that greater oversight and scrutiny is necessary.”

Let’s put an end to the myth of academy ‘freedoms’ (Schools Week, April 2025)

Sir Alan Wood, who is leading the Child Safeguarding Practice Review of Mossbourne, writes: “…academies operate outside democratic oversight, with parents and communities having little say in their governance.”

Mossbourne Federation parents ‘afraid to complain’ (March 2025, Southend Echo)

‘Pupils are in fear every day’: parents raise concerns about new schools run by top UK academy (March 2025, The Observer)

Mossbourne Federation hit by complaints since taking over Thurrock schools (Feb 2025, Your Thurrock)

Hackney Council launches ‘in-depth review’ of school behaviour policies (Feb 2025, Hackney Citizen)

14th Feb 2025: Terms of Reference for Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review published

13th Feb 2025: Educating Hackney has sent information from over 340 individuals to CHSCP. 186 accounts relate to Mossbourne Community Academy, and 133 relate to Mossbourne Victoria Park, including 90 ex-students and 30 professionals. Most of the remaining accounts relate to Mossbourne schools in Essex. Consent has been gained from 250 of these individuals so far for direct contact from CHSCP, and Educating Hackney will pass on new information that is continuing to come in.

We need to talk about… Mossbourne Academy, Hackney (Feb 2025, ‘Educationally Outraged’ podcast)

Ex-Mossbourne teacher blasts ‘silent subjugation’ of pupils (Feb 2025, Hackney Citizen)

Council insider on Mossbourne: ‘Leadership and culture are the problem’ (Feb 2025, Hackney Citizen)

‘Until 16 months ago, I would’ve been among the parents surprised by the extent of adverse experiences’ (Feb 2025, Hackney Citizen)

5th Feb 2025: Educating Hackney always aims to be responsible in its communication, and stickers have appeared around Hackney that we have no connection with. While they include a link to this website, the stickers also:

Target current students – our form is explicit that submissions are only accepted from those over 18.
Invite anonymous reporting – this is not an option on our website.
Use language and imagery that we would not use and do not think are appropriate.

Mossbourne Federation under fire over way children treated (Jan 2025, Southend Echo)

Mossbourne CEO Peter Hughes speaks to BBC Essex (Jan 2025, clip on ‘X’ with link to BBC Sounds)

“Children are getting half a grade to three quarters of a grade behind their national counterparts – to say the children are OK I think is wrong … there might be some short-term wins ‘cause somebody’s has covered up their failures in the cloak of what they’re calling happiness… Look at our children in Hackney. They are happy, they do come to school… Kids are kids are kids, right? We know how kids work.”

[Re. cuts to pastoral and Send support staff.] “We’re about building kids and giving the independence, and not creating dependence and quite often what you see around Send is ‘put another teaching assistant, put another person with that child‘ … That child doesn’t learn independence, they learn to become dependent upon that adult. What we’re doing is creating a system whereby these children become great young, independent adults by the time they leave us.”

Packed meeting hears parents’ grievances about new education trust and council leaders pledge to act on their behalf (Jan 2025, Thurrock Nub News)

7th Jan 2025: This is a unique situation. It may be the first time that a collection of evidence of harm, with every respondent (now almost 300) keen to speak and providing contact details, has been large enough to result in a whole-school safeguarding review. We hope it will empower the Review to look at systematic issues which affect not only Mossbourne, but other schools and academies. This would ensure that neither the school nor its teachers are scapegoated.

We are pleased that the Observer reported that a group of parents has described a “successful school with brilliant and committed teachers”. We agree, as do many of those who have submitted accounts. There is widespread agreement that a good learning environment requires good discipline, but this should not negate the need to address ongoing harm, even if a minority of children are affected.

We hope all that is good about the Mossbourne schools continues to be celebrated, and that the review will be conducted in a calm, considered context, with the expectation that its findings will benefit all children there.

Mossbourne schools can change young lives for the better (Dec 2024, Observer letters)

20th Dec 2024: Second statement from the Independent Safeguarding Children Commissioner

School in leading Mossbourne academy trust faces safeguarding review (Dec 2024,The Observer)

13th Dec 2024: Statement by Jim Gamble re Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy

What kind of society would willingly traumatise its children in the name of education? (Dec 2024, The Guardian)

Top London academies face mass claims of emotional harm as Whitehall acts on crisis (Dec 2024, The Observer)

Teachers at top academy in Hackney ‘screamed at’ and humiliated pupils, say angry parents (Nov 2024, The Observer)

Immediate concerns? If you have information that represents, or possibly represents, a current risk to a child/children please report this to Hackney Council immediately. If you have specific complaints about any school/academy please ensure that you use the formal complaints process at the school.