All-boys school 'fails' pupils

A school inspection revealed "significant weaknesses"

A boys school in Swansea has become only the second comprehensive in Wales to be classed as "failing".

Welsh Education Secretary Rosemary Butler revealed that Penlan Comprehensive had been found to have "significant weaknesses" in the quality of education provided.

The only other secondary school in Wales ever to be classed as failing - Glan Ely in Cardiff - is now off the register.

Chief Inspector Susan Lewis: Taking report seriously

Mrs Butler said she took the conclusion of the Chief Inspector of School's report "very seriously".

The classing of Penlan as a failing school followed two inspections in the last two years.

The first in February 1998 found "significant weaknesses" in areas including standards of achievement, exam results and attendance.

A follow-up visit four months later found the rate of improvement had been slow and another inspection was ordered for early this year.

The Assembly has powers to set up a body to take over the running of the school if the action plan is not satisfactory.

Penlan Comprehensive

560 pupils

21% of pupils leave with no qualifications compared with 5% for Wales generally

Unauthorised absence rates run at 8.4%

The school governors and Swansea City Council now have 40 days to respond to the ruling.

The school is one of the few remaining all-boys schools in Wales.

There are around 560 pupils on the register. It does not have a sixth form.

The last school performance tables published by the Assembly in December showed an improvement in the percentage of pupils at the school gaining five or more GCSEs at A-C.

But 21% of pupils left without any qualification at all - compared with 5% across Wales generally.

Rates of unauthorised absence were also high at Penlan according to the tables with 8.4% of sessions missed.

Strategies

Swansea council's education department has said in a statement that it recognised the efforts of the school.

But "disappointingly" it had not been possible to meet all the significant challenges it had faced over the last few years.

The authority said it would work with staff to "move the school out of special measures at the earliest opportunity".

A statement from the chair of governors Councillor Vic Alexander and the head John Guy also said they were disappointed at the decision.

They plan to explore further strategies for improving attendance and literacy at Penlan.