OFSTED has criticised Worcestershire County Council for not doing enough to get students at a short-stay school back into mainstream education.

Inspector Deb Jenkins said Newbridge Short Stay School, in Midland Road, Worcester, which takes students excluded from other schools, has “no local authority systems in place to promote pupils returning to mainstream schools”.

The report said work to ensure pupils receive the right support is “hampered”, stating that leaders provided “compelling evidence” that transition information from the local authority for newly referred pupils is almost always sparse or missing altogether.

Headteacher James Laidler said: “The local authority should be driving the system to make sure young people get a second chance – but the Ofsted report says that system does not appear to be in place.

“An awful lot of young people are out of education at the moment. They are young people who do want to return to mainstream education but they find it hard to secure a place.”

The inspector said that the school, which is currently rated ‘inadequate’, is taking “effective action” towards the removal of special measures.

The report read: “The quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection because of the helpful support and guidance staff receive from senior and middle leaders.

“Inspectors saw positive working relationships between staff and pupils, leading to pupils being better engaged in their learning.

“In all year groups, pupils are making better progress.”

However, the report did point out that students are kept waiting for the doors to be unlocked at 9am, meaning they wait outside standing on the street, some of them smoking, and that a few pupils, who arrive in taxis, abscond from school.

The school was told to take immediate and effective action to improve the attendance of all students and significantly reduce the proportion of pupils who do not receive full-time education.

Speaking on the report, Mr Laidler said: “It is hugely positive. We are really pleased the inspectors recognised we are building positive relationships with the students.

“They all have come to us with major setbacks in their education but we are trying to help them put that behind them.”

The inspection visit took place on September 25 and 26.

Councillor Marcus Hart said: "The County Council's aim is that all children in Worcestershire receive a high quality education.

"We continue to review monitoring arrangements to improve robust data reporting to schools and quality standards for alternative provision, which includes analysis of reintegration rates.

"The council continues to be aware that nationally there are concerns about the rates at which children and young people return to mainstream schools from alternative provision. However, since 2014/15 the number of children returning to mainstream or specialist long term provision has increased from 20 to 51 in 2017/18.

"Although this is an improvement in the success rate of reintegration, we continue to work in partnership with the schools across the county to understand and break down barriers to reintegration."