Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College

If i could rate zero stars i would. My son has been experiencing racism and mockery and when he told the year leader, she simply said the person being racist WASN’T. And he did no wrong. Sorry?? Were you there??? this is so ridiculous and now my son is distraught and they won’t even let him go home. Stupid school system. Not doing anything about racism and not letting me pick him up?? He doesn’t need to go to medical, he said he doesn’t feel well already.

Regrettably, my child has completed her A levels at this abysmal college, and based on my understanding, it may not be an ideal choice for prospective students. The administration of the sixth form is overseen by an individual who can only be described as lethargic. Despite holding the title of 'Director of Post-16', he appears to delegate much of the 'directing' to the college office staff. His management has resulted in distressing treatment towards their old PPT, leading to her crying in front of students and subsequent resignation midway through the academic year. The absence of effective leadership has contributed to disorganisation within the sixth form. For instance, staff were instructed to prioritise year 13 students due to their impending A level exams, yet there were occasions when the year 13s had entire days without lessons, as their teachers were facilitating 'drop down days' for year 11s. Alarmingly, staff were told not to disclose this information to students, as they rightfully wouldn’t want to attend college on those days. In February, the head of Sixth Form implemented 'mandatory period 8s', extending the school day until 4:45pm for select students. While I agree that additional learning time is valuable, this decision overlooked students' existing commitments, such as part-time employment. Insensitively, a teacher expressed in an assembly that "Your job doesn't care about you!" disregarding the fact that many students rely on these jobs for their livelihood. In one instance, a student mentioned their inability to attend period 8s due to the need to work and pay rent, to which the insufferable criminology teacher and head of year responded dismissively with "Tough". I would also like to add that the teachers supposedly had no choice in holding these extra two-hour sessions and were not paid for them. During the same month, 'mandatory masterclasses' were introduced during half term breaks to compensate for the college's inability to deliver sufficient teaching during term time, unlike other colleges in the area. The college's lack of organisation has led to instances where students made to teach themselves A level content due to constraints in time and resources. This evident lack of support has had a detrimental impact on student performance where I have heard instances of whole classes failing mock exams, students being entered for papers worth only half an A level, and one student having a meeting only five weeks prior to exams about not allowing her to sit exams because teachers didn’t believe she’d show up. I have also been informed of instances where teachers were reportedly teaching exam content on the actual day of the final A-Level exam. At the beginning of Year 13, my daughter attended an assembly where the notoriously ineffective ‘Director’ of Sixth Form claimed that previous Year 13 students had complained about their grades, despite allegedly not putting in the necessary effort or revising adequately. However, the reality was that these students had indeed worked hard and were ultimately let down by the staff. This college does not appear to strive for excellence, as evidenced not only by its lack of commitment but also by the subpar grades it consistently produces. The Accord Sixth Form website attempts to present the college’s performance as above the national average by categorizing grades in a particular way, yet in truth, they fall below that standard. The school's careers advisor is fully aware of this situation and, rather than motivating students to aim high, often encourages them to set lower aspirations. I have heard accounts of students being advised to change their university choices on UCAS to what the advisor deems “realistic universities,” even when these students had high predicted grades. It is worth noting that these predicted grades often seem inflated, as the actual A-Level results tend to be significantly lower. Furthermore, this same careers advisor has reportedly discouraged students from applying to Oxbridge, while selectively choosing which students are given opportunities to engage with Oxbridge representatives. My daughter has observed that these selected students tend to come from the same white, middle-class demographic. Additionally, the apathetic Director of Sixth Form has shown a troubling tendency to confuse and mix up students of the same race, confidently addressing them as if they were someone else. This was not a mere oversight, as it continued to happen well into their second year at the college. It is evident that the ineligible Director of Sixth Form needs to step down after years of inadequate leadership, making way for someone with the appropriate work ethic to effectively lead Accord Sixth Form. It is unacceptable that both staff and students are well aware of his inability to perform his duties. My daughter should not have to justify poor grades by saying, “well, it’s a bad college,” and students should not have to settle for a mediocre education. Regrettably, it is purported that the college's poor organisation has led to the departure of all post-16 teachers, with only a small few remaining for the next academic year. I sincerely hope that the college receives a sufficient number of formal complaints for the Accord Multi Academy Trust to finally take notice and take appropriate action as, from what I have heard, the issues I have raised have persisted for many years.

The school is full of pakis

Regrettably, my child has completed her A levels at this abysmal college, and based on my understanding, it may not be an ideal choice for prospective students. The administration of the sixth form is overseen by an individual who can only be described as lethargic. Despite holding the title of 'Director of Post-16', he appears to delegate much of the 'directing' to the college office staff. His management has resulted in distressing treatment towards their old PPT, leading to her crying in front of students and subsequent resignation midway through the academic year. The absence of effective leadership has contributed to disorganisation within the sixth form. For instance, staff were instructed to prioritise year 13 students due to their impending A level exams, yet there were occasions when the year 13s had entire days without lessons, as their teachers were facilitating 'drop down days' for year 11s. Alarmingly, staff were told not to disclose this information to students, as they rightfully wouldn’t want to attend college on those days. In February, the head of Sixth Form implemented 'mandatory period 8s', extending the school day until 4:45pm for select students. While I agree that additional learning time is valuable, this decision overlooked students' existing commitments, such as part-time employment. Insensitively, a teacher expressed in an assembly that "Your job doesn't care about you!" disregarding the fact that many students rely on these jobs for their livelihood. In one instance, a student mentioned their inability to attend period 8s due to the need to work and pay rent, to which the head of year responded dismissively with "Tough". I would also like to add that the teachers supposedly had no choice in holding these extra two-hour sessions and were not paid for them. During the same month, 'mandatory masterclasses' were introduced during half term breaks to compensate for the college's inability to deliver sufficient teaching during term time, unlike other colleges in the area.
The college's lack of organisation has led to instances where students made to teach themselves A level content due to constraints in time and resources. This evident lack of support has had a detrimental impact on student performance where I have heard instances of whole classes failing mock exams, students being entered for papers worth only half an A level, and one student having a meeting only five weeks prior to exams about not allowing her to sit exams because teachers didn’t believe she’d show up. Regrettably, it is purported that the college's poor organization has led to the departure of all post-16 teachers, with only a small few remaining for the next academic year.

My experience is terrible I tried to get off school for 1 week to escape it but it didn't work. In every lesson I'm sat at the back of the class and My eyesight is terrible so I can't see the board. The lunch is OK but everyone is really rude and I'm getting bullied constantly. None of the teachers has done anything about it. 10/10 WOULD NOT RECOMMEND

This school is horrible the teachers are utter shit they don’t care about bullying you get detentions for extremely stupid reasons

the teachers did virtually nothing asbout my bullying problem

I am a student at ossett academy and sixth form college and this school has took a turn for the worse with today implementation of a toilet policy which requires students to queue and be assigned a cubicle with the locking and restrictions of toilets during lesson times etc using shutters this is completely unacceptable and is causing queues for toilets meaning some students are unable to go all day long like they expect us to wee ourselves this is also bad for students that msg be starting periods which would need to use the nearest toilets etc this will lead to embarrassment for young girls and this is completely unacceptable in a school environment which is meant to assist learning and be a safe place. This clearly breaks the right to proper sanitation under article 11 of the human rights act as it is not necessary and a prescribed law this school clearly cares more about draconian punishment than it’s students education disappointing during covid times.

I've been at the school since September 2018 and the amount of bullying, in general, is through the roof. I've had panic attacks as a result of coming here.

I have seen many counts of bullying be left unpunished. For instance, a student repeatedly bullied me for six months in my first year and he only got warned to avoid me, which they haven't enforced at all.

Many students have to fake illness to avoid the way we get treated and some are found out to be sick whilst out of school.