An academy trust that runs three Leyton schools was criticised after a student was stabbed at its school in Milton Keynes.
Stantonbury International School in Milton Keynes was inspected in January by Ofsted following the non-fatal stabbing of a student and placed in special measures.
The regional schools commissioner wrote on August 26 that Griffin Schools Trust (GST) had "overseen the decline of the school since the last inspection".
GST runs 10 primary and infant schools and three secondary schools, including Lammas School in Seymour Road, Leyton, and insists its approach is a proven "success".
Lammas School received the second-highest rating of 'good' before converting to an academy in 2018 but has not been inspected since.
Trust failed to 'hold leaders to account'
In August, regional schools commissioner Dame Kate Dethridge wrote she fears GST “lacks the ability to drive forward rapid and sustainable school improvement”.
She added: “The trust currently operates three secondary schools, two of which are performing well below the national average for pupil outcomes and have done so over a number of years.
“In that context, I have serious concerns about the capacity of the trust to provide and monitor the high-quality intervention needed at the academy.
“Further, I remain concerned that the trust will continue to fail to hold leaders to account as little progress appears to have been made in this area since the date of the Ofsted inspection.”
GST insists Stantonbury International's issues do not reflect on its overall ability to manage schools.
The trust’s two primary schools in Leyton, Riverley in Park Road and Willow Brook in Church Road, both received the highest 'outstanding' rating.
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A GST spokesperson said that, since 2013, only two of its 13 schools have seen a decline in their Ofsted rating.
They added that, in 2012 and 2013, the trust had taken on a number of schools forced to convert to academies due to poor performance, including seven in special measures.
The spokesperson said: “Recovering long-term failing schools sustainably is a long and highly specialised process.
“The trust’s central team includes people who have experience and impressive track records in school recovery, as well as leading the highest performing schools in the UK and internationally.
“Stantonbury... is a far stronger school than much of the January 2020 Ofsted report suggests.
“The sixth form was judged 'good'. We are disappointed that no one from the (regional schools commissioner) office has visited to see the progress made in the ten months since that report.
“Lammas joined us by choice in December 2018 as an Ofsted ‘good’ school, aspiring to receive more pupils from the two adjacent GST Outstanding schools.
“Testament to the success of our approach is the feedback from families, the waiting lists to join schools and the many awards and marks of recognition... our schools achieve.”
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