By Harry McMullen
The Huddersfield school where a Syrian refugee was the target of a bullying attack is undergoing an unplanned Ofsted inspection today.
Parents and guardians at Almondbury Community School were notified by text message.
The text message read: “Parents, we have an impromptu Ofsted visit. Please assist us by completing survey on Ofsted website – parent view, using your email address to register. Thank you.”
The school has been in the media spotlight in recent weeks following an attack that took place on school grounds on Thursday October 25.
The attack saw a 15-year-old Syrian refugee throttled and wrestled to the ground by a white pupil at the school. A video of the assault was published on social media and has since drawn international news coverage.
Cathy Kirby, Ofsted North East and Yorkshire and Humber Director told Yorkshire Voice: “We take the safety of pupils very seriously. Where there are concerns about a school’s ability to safeguard pupils, we will not hesitate to inspect.”
The social media coverage of the attack has led to a Go Fund Me page which raised £157,764 for the victim and his family.
The assaulted child had also previously written to his councillor, Bernard McGuin of the Almondbury Ward, to report months of bullying at the school.
Cllr McGuin was cautious when discussing today’s inspection with Yorkshire Voice. “From what I can gather, some things need to change,” he said.
“I’ve got to be very careful what I say. You’ve got to look at the evidence and look at the paper trail, that’s all.”
A 16-year-old boy has been interviewed by West Yorkshire Police and was reported for summons for an offence of assault. He is due to appear at Youth Court.
In a statement from the school, Head Teacher, Trevor Bowen was keen to show that the school had done their utmost to act on the attack.
He said: “It is very important to stress that the incidents were dealt with at the time by our school – not at a later date after footage appeared on social media.”