GOVERNORS have been replaced at an Oxford school after it was rated ‘inadequate’ again.

The school improvement board at St Gregory the Great Catholic School disbanded on Tuesday, the Oxford Mail understands, to make way for replacements.

According to a former governor, members of a new interim board include Niall McWilliams, managing director at Oxford United, who was headteacher of The Oxford Academy in Littlemore until 2018.

READ AGAIN: What Ofsted said in the latest report for St Greg's

The change comes six weeks after Ofsted gave St Greg’s in East Oxford its lowest rating, for the second time in a row, meaning it has now been in special measures for almost three years.

Former parent governor Syeda Butterworth, whose son is in Year 11, said she was ‘expecting changes’ but did not feel governors should be blamed.

She said: “The disbanding of the governors was not down to the lack of competence and commitment from governors, but from errors of powers above.

“It is down to the directors that the school is in the state it is.

“Action on their part came too little too late.”

The Cowley mum-of-two was referring to directors of the Dominic Barberi Multi Academy Company (DBMAC), which runs the all-through academy.

ALSO READ: Oxford Academy rated 'inadequate' after behaviour safety failures

According to Mrs Butterworth, some DBMAC directors will sit on the new board.

Draft minutes from the meeting said members of the board would include Dame Kate Dethridge, the interim regional schools’ commissioner in the South East.

However, the school has since confirmed that this is not the case, although she will be providing support.

Regional schools commissioners are responsible for overseeing academy schools, and Mrs Butterworth was positive about Ms Dethridge’s involvement.

She added: “It’s her reputation on the line if the school doesn’t improve.”

St Greg’s was first rated ‘inadequate’ and placed in special measures in 2017, and its retention of that judgement stemmed from an inspection in November.

Its early years provision was rated ‘good’ and the sixth form ‘requires improvement’, but concerns remained about the secondary phase.

Mrs Butterworth said she was ‘disappointed’ by the rating as the previous monitoring inspection had been much more positive about improvements.

ALSO READ: Another all-through school is rated 'inadequate'

However, she said ‘like all schools’, a lack of resources and funding had restricted the scope of change.

Mrs Butterworth added: “I can’t fault the school on the support and help they’ve given my son with the condition of the resources they have.”

Although she said the move to give directors control of governance was ‘not the best move’, she said she still had hope that the school could improve.

She added: “I’ve seen the school through three heads. It can be turned around. If I wasn’t confident of that, I wouldn’t have sent my son there.”

Ofsted’s report did praise ‘notable improvements to behaviour’ and Mrs Butterworth agreed.

She said: “When I first walked into the school, the behaviour and attitudes of students were quite rude and they would be wandering around.

“I would see them in Cowley centre being quite rowdy.

“There have been vast improvements in behaviour.

“With the right support and back-up, potentially it could be a good school again.”

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In a statement yesterday, the DBMC board of directors said: "The governing body has been replaced by an interim governing board to instigate further improvements to the school.

"We are working closely with the Regional School Commissioner’s office as we move forward, and they are giving valuable support to the school.

"We are determined to make a difference to this community and give our students the best opportunities for their futures."