Mossbourne’s draconian ‘punishment no matter what’ regime linked to pupils’ self-harm and disproportionately targeted Black boys with harsh sanctions, damning report reveals
Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy. Image: Google
Shouting, public humiliation and pupils’ mental health issues at Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (MVPA) have been revealed in a highly-anticipated safeguarding review published today.
Two pupils said their mistreatment at the hands of teachers led them to self-harm, with one made to feel like they “didn’t deserve to live” because of their grades.
This is just one of a number of shocking disclosures in a review by Sir Alan Wood CBE that was triggered a year ago by parents’ complaints about the school’s strict behaviour policy.
Sir Alan found that concerns about practices such as shouting and public humiliation “can be substantiated”.
This includes a policy known as ‘desking’, which sees pupils ordered to sit alone in corridors for what the review described as “minor infractions”.
One former student told the Citizen she had been ‘desked’ when she was having a panic attack. “It wasn’t punishment,” she explained. “It was in a hidden corridor, sort of away from people, but anyone could come by at any point.
“I was sitting there crying for a very long time, and I remember the general vibe being, ‘Oh, can you just be done with this now and go to class, and get back to learning?'”
According to the Sir Alan’s report, shouting at pupils was also “so routine” that it was “no longer recognised as harmful”.
The review quotes one teacher who said: “It was frequently made clear to teachers by the SLT [Senior Leadership Team] that empathy was considered a weakness, and that raising your voice was a requirement.
“The ‘tough love’ message was reinforced in assemblies and in person by imagery of a red fist and heart”.
Another teacher said the mental health of students was considered “secondary to their academic outcomes”, while a parent alleged their child was “absolutely petrified” of speaking to staff and wouldn’t drink water because of the lack of time allowed for using the toilet.
The report’s author, Sir Alan Wood CBE
Sir Alan added that certain students, including children with SEND or from some ethnic groups, were “disproportionately impacted by sanctions”, with Black boys in particular subjected to “racialised language and microaggressions”.
While his review acknowledged the school’s “strong academic results”, Sir Alan said a “climate of fear” and “no excuses” had resulted in a “punishment no matter what” approach.
“Academic excellence that traumatises some pupils is not true excellence,” he wrote. “Discipline through fear is not preparing young people for life as confident, independent adults”.
Former student Shae, who is now at university, told the Citizen this fear was something she felt daily. “Every day I felt on edge”, she said. “I felt scared to do something wrong in case there were going to be repercussions. Even if you forgot a pen, a book, you’re sitting in detention for an hour, two hours”.
The review was also critical of the school’s response to complaints, saying: “A defensive and dismissive leadership culture has refuted these concerns, branding them as ‘vexatious’, and has prioritised academic reputation over engaging with criticism.
“Leadership has come to believe harsh discipline is not just a means but the defining characteristic of success – the method has become the mission”, he added. The report concludes: “Every child attending MVPA is entitled to an education that protects their dignity, wellbeing, and development”.
“The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments. The statutory definition of safeguarding includes emotional wellbeing. Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights prohibits degrading treatment. For some pupils, MVPA has failed to meet these standards”.
The Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review was commissioned to investigate “widespread concerns” of parents with children at the school.
The review found that “some practitioners consider that MVPA’s uncompromising culture on academic success and its approach to behaviour are leaving needs unmet and exacerbating mental health issues in pupils.
“The school’s leadership has created a structured environment that can be positive for those who can navigate its strictures.
“However, this same system is implemented with a rigidity and a lack of differentiation that does not protect the wellbeing of a vulnerable minority”.
It continued: “This review has examined a school that simultaneously achieves remarkable academic success whilst causing harm to some of its most vulnerable pupils.
“MVPA’s achievements are real – examination results are outstanding, attendance exceeds national averages, and many pupils thrive. These successes deserve recognition.
“However, there is substantiated evidence that for a significant minority of pupils, particularly those with SEND, mental health challenges, or who struggle to conform to an inflexible system, the school’s approach to discipline has been harmful”.
Shae can attest to this. Speaking to the Citizen, she said students who were “already smart” were treated differently to those who needed extra support.
“The school rules didn’t apply to everyone”, she added. “If you were already good [academically], that’s fine, but if you weren’t, or you needed extra support with your behaviour, or mental [health], it wasn’t really provided.
“It’s a double-edged sword – I guess the only reason I did well at school was because I felt the pressure to. There was no excuse to slip up. That’s why the school is always going to look good, because it has good grades, but [it comes] at a big sacrifice”.
Some 342 reports from parents, pupils and staff were gathered to inform the review, relating to a range of schools within the Federation.
A “substantial minority” of pupils and parents were found not to feel safe or happy, or to “believe bullying is handled effectively”.
Sir Alan’s review touched on issues parents claimed to have come up against when trying to communicate with staff members at the school, particularly to raise concerns.
Outlining his recommendations, he said the “no excuses'” attitude to behaviour should be replaced with “high expectations combined with genuine care, flexibility, and individualisation”.
“Senior leaders must acknowledge their defensive posture has prevented change,” he added. “Dismissing concerns as vexatious was wrong and must end”.
Sir Alan added “mandatory reasonable adjustments for SEND” students should be introduced, encouraged governors to become “active interrogators” of data regarding disproportionality of sanctions, and encouraged more transparency regarding the recording and monitoring of sanctions.
“Without transparency, there can be no accountability”, he said.
The review was commissioned after a number of parents’ concerns were submitted to Hackney Council in an anonymised dossier in 2024.
Later that year, the website Educating Hackney was set up – also by concerned parents – where further concerns were submitted.
Despite the concerns raised, the report did highlight a number of previous Ofsted inspections of the school between 2016 and 2023, which found it to be ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
In a statement, the independent safeguarding children commissioner, Jim Gamble, said: “This report should not be seen as an indictment of our schools and their committed teachers, but rather as a reminder that every educational setting should have the safety, wellbeing and dignity of all children at their core.
“There are lessons in this report for MVPA, the wider Mossbourne Federation, the Department for Education, and indeed for Ofsted.
“If the safeguarding, welfare and inclusion of all children are not at the heart of what we expect of schools, then the foundation upon which academic excellence is built is incomplete …
“When it comes to the safety and welfare of our children, no individual or institution is above scrutiny”.
In a letter to parents and carers dated Monday 8 December and seen by the Citizen, Principal Matthew Toothe wrote: “I personally do not believe you will agree with the review’s conclusions because if you do you would not entrust your children to our care on a daily basis; the incredibly dedicated and hardworking staff at the academy would not choose to work here; and the countless external professionals who visit the academy – including senior leaders in Hackney Education, social workers, Young Hackney staff, mental health specialists from wellbeing and mental health in schools, councillors, and senior leaders from other local and national schools – would not have stood by and been complicit in a system which they thought was causing harm to children”.
The letter concludes: “I can assure you that all children’s best interests are at the heart of everything we do at Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy and, as principal of this academy, I care deeply and passionately about the wellbeing and futures of your children”.
In a statement, the Mossbourne Federation said: “We acknowledge receipt of the Local Child Safeguarding Review by Sir Alan Wood CBE, instigated by the City and Hackney Independent Safeguarding Children Commissioner.
“The report is being considered carefully and in detail by The Members Trust, in conjunction with the Board of the multi-academy trust and the Senior Leadership Team.
“While the report acknowledges the strong outcomes the schools achieve for pupils alongside high levels of support from parents and staff, it raises a number of issues which echo those detailed in the Anne Whyte KC Review, published last month.
“The Mossbourne Federation is committed to doing everything in its power to ensure the best outcomes for every child who attends its schools.
“We have already recognised the importance of engaging effectively with parents and are working to implement all the recommendations made by Anne Whyte KC. We will review Sir Alan’s findings and reflect further on them.
“In the meantime, we thank our hardworking staff, pupils and parents for their ongoing commitment, focus and support and reiterate our ongoing commitment to enabling students from all backgrounds to thrive and achieve their full potential”.
Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, deputy mayor of Hackney and cabinet member for education, young people and children’s social care, said: “We recognise that the publishing of Sir Alan Wood’s independent Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review this week is a critical moment in addressing concerns raised about children’s experiences at Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy.
“We know that the review and related themes may cause upset for children and young people, their families, staff, and our communities in general.
“We are taking the necessary time to fully consider the report’s findings and how we can further strengthen our support for schools, settings, and partners, ensuring our education offer unequivocally puts the wellbeing of our children and young people first.
“The council remains committed to its long-term vision: a borough where every Hackney child and young person, regardless of background, has the resilience, support, and opportunity to lead a happy, healthy life.
“We are dedicated to finding the balance between high expectations and clear boundaries, while fostering inclusion, empathy, and resilience”.
Independent councillor Penny Wrout (Victoria ward) said: “We all want the best for our children, and that includes good academic results, but this report shows that good results for the majority have sometimes come at the cost of the well-being of a significant minority of students.
“That is not acceptable, especially when that minority are often the most vulnerable young people, who may need most support.
“This does not have to come at the cost of ill-discipline – we all realise that an orderly classroom is essential for learning. I agree with Sir Alan when he says, ‘The path forward requires the Federation to balance its academic rigour with greater flexibility, compassion, and a governance system that ensures the school’s culture is nurturing and safe for every pupil'”.
In a statement to the Citizen, Hackney Labour party said it “welcomes the rigour and candour” of the report.
It continued: “We believe in inclusive education and the involvement of all the community, particularly parents, carers, teachers and the children themselves, in choosing how a school operates and develops its policies.”
Hackney Green party spokesperson Dylan Law told the Citizen: “This report reiterates what many parents and pupils have experienced. It substantiates claims that Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy used methods of isolation, routine intimidation and public humiliation on those aged 11-16. This report also tells us what we weren’t aware of: the fact that governors were unable to hold the academy to account solely because of their ability to provide good results. …
“It is our belief that academies within the borough and beyond should be subject to council oversight, thereby making them accountable to the wider public”.
Ofsted declined to comment when contacted. The Citizen has contacted Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy for comment.
Note: This article was updated on Wednesday 10 December to include a new quote from the MVPA’s principal’s letter to parents and carers. It was further updated on Thursday 11 December to include testimony from former pupils and statements from the Labour and Green parties.
For my SEND/ EAL/ immigrant child with mental health needs, MVPA was supportive at all levels and did personalise.
Which school works for everyone? If you do not want schools to support pupils to achieve their best and have a platform for a better future why have it in Ofsted, publish league tables or bash schools if below national averages? All demands can’t be met, for all at all times.
Anonymous complaints are incredibly easy to make and impossible to deal with if the school is not even aware there is an issue. No school works perfectly for every pupil. Every secondary school I know has some dissatisfied parents and children. There is a good choice of secondary schools in the borough. When my kids went to Mossbourne, parents were made completely aware of their approach to rules and sanctions and signed up to be supportive of this. It seems like Mossbourne has been targeted for negative media coverage and unique scrutiny because of its achievements as much as its reputation for discipline.
I’m a 40 year old, disabled neurodivergent woman who did not receive my diagnosis until adulthood. I grew up as an ‘invisible SEND child’ as I see it, in desperate need of compassion from adults around me, and instead was met with abuse and exclusion within the home and school, as I did not fit the mould of what society expected of a girl. I was academically strong but inside my confidence and self identity suffered with every passing year in secondary school. I was bullied and those who were paid to keep me and other children safe did nothing. Now, as a mother and someone who cares deeply for the wellbeing of all children, I share my deepest thanks to the parents, carers, and most importantly – children – who have had the courage and conviction to bring this issue to the attention of all Hackney. I hope desperately that it results in real change for children and their families, as well as the teachers who do not want to be part of abusive Academies. Not only at Mossbourne, but across all our secondary schools in Hackney. Education is critical, but a child is a child, and deserves to be happy, safe, and enjoy every minute of their fleeting childhood. They are so much more than cogs in our capitalist consumer machine. Love them and let them be children.
It’s not just that Mossbourne, but also Mossbourne hacked me down. My child had never experienced any problems in primary school six years of Dance School no problem four years of football no problem three years of gymnastics no problem until my daughter started at Mossbourne that she developed self harming she tried to commit suicide twice and she’s developed eating disorder her whole body is flared up due to stress. A traumatise my daughter so bad seeing teachers mistreat special needs kids.. I didn’t realise my daughter was putting Pad on because when Teacher screaming her face, she was pissing herself. It hasn’t only affected my child but it affected my mental health every time I see Mossbourne calling me for the silliest things my heart starts pumping fast and start having anxiety. My daughter got in trouble for tying up shoelaces of autistic child accuses my daughter I’ve been in another area when she was at home we proved that with CCTV but they did not apologise for the mistake and she was suspended for 10 days nearly 5 days at home and five days in isolation these kids spend more time in a hot outside the building eating just sandwiches for days for silly things which you can’t prove against the school if any student becomes a a witness against the school they get suspended too. How do you win against a system like this? It’s either their way or the highway is sad to say that a child is gonna die in that school. The mental health is so high, I have written to the MP and explained that the blood is in their hand if anything happens to a child in that school. I have contacted Social Services explaining if I was to do half of the stuff that the school has done to my child my child will be taken off of me, but Social Services couldn’t do nothing.
My experience with Mossbourne has been extremely negative, especially as a parent of a child on the SEN register. The level of isolation my son has been put through has had a serious impact on his mental health, and as a parent it has been incredibly distressing to watch. His behaviour challenges come from his neurodiversity, yet instead of understanding and support, we’ve faced constant sanctions and removals from class for very minor issues.
I have had to attend an overwhelming number of meetings – easily more than 30 in a year – most of which felt unproductive and one-sided. Nothing ever seems to change, and the burden always falls on the parent. I have even had to arrange private tutoring for all subjects because my son spends so little time in class.
The behaviour in the APC is especially concerning. The environment feels harsh rather than supportive, and it is absolutely not suitable for neurodivergent children who need understanding and proper SEN provision. It often feels more punitive than educational.
Unless your child is already an A-star student who can deliver the results the school wants, I would strongly think twice before sending them here. The pressure on both parent and child is enormous. The school is publicly funded and should be inclusive, but in my experience it feels like they prioritise results over genuine support. I have even needed therapy myself to cope with the stress of dealing with the school, and unfortunately I am currently unable to move my son elsewhere.
I hope Mossbourne genuinely reflects on how they treat neurodiverse students and families, because the system in place now is deeply damaging.
I was extremely disappointed with my child’s experience at this school. After the recent safeguarding findings, I honestly wish I had trusted my instincts sooner. The atmosphere feels chaotic and reactive rather than safe and supportive. Communication with parents is poor, and every time I tried to raise concerns, I was bounced around between staff who didn’t seem to have the full picture or any real plan to address problems.
Supervision and support for vulnerable students feel inconsistent at best. My child often complained about feeling ignored or brushed off when they were struggling, and staff responses seemed to depend entirely on who happened to be on duty that day. The school talks a lot about safeguarding, but in practice I didn’t see the level of care or vigilance that parents should be able to rely on.
The behaviour policies are rigid, and instead of providing help, they often end up punishing the children who need understanding the most. Detentions, isolation, and abrupt decisions seem to be the default instead of early intervention or proper pastoral support. It leaves children anxious and parents exhausted from constantly chasing answers.
The leadership team appears more concerned with maintaining their reputation than listening to families or acknowledging areas that clearly need improvement. Even after the safeguarding findings came out, the attitude felt defensive rather than reflective.
Overall, I cannot recommend this school. It may work well for some students, but if your child has any additional needs or requires a safe, nurturing environment, I would be very cautious. The experience has been stressful and genuinely upsetting for our family.
To read that the school is disciplining children at a rate of 150 incidents a day on average is so deeply upsetting. To learn that this practice is being implemented in a disproportionate way, impacting black and SEND children more than others is really concerning.
I believe that similar issues are at play in other academies across Hackney and they need to be held to account and Hackney’s children need proper protection.
A publicly funded school cannot claim to be inclusive while operating a “front-door in, back-door out” system. When the most vulnerable students — especially those with SEN who need support the most — are quietly isolated, repeatedly suspended, or pushed towards exclusion, that isn’t inclusion. That is an ego-driven, results-focused model built on grades, rankings and image management.
The real issue is the lack of transparency. There is no publicly available data on how many days SEN students spend in isolation, how often they are suspended, or how many ultimately face exclusion. Without this, the school can present a polished narrative while vulnerable children pay the price.
And let’s be honest: part of how these schools maintain their results is by attracting top teachers with higher-than-average pay — not through genuine inclusive practice.
Inclusion is not a slogan. It requires openness, accountability, and support for every child, not just the easy-to-teach ones
I note no comment from Ofsted….. the same Ofsted who was run for how many years by Sir Michael Wilshaw who coincidentally was head of Mossbourne when it became an academy…. I wonder what he feels about his baby….. this has been going on for years…. It doesn’t just suddenly happen…. I know of parents who have said there was issues years ago. And it’s not just issues around behaviour and culture today in an individual school…. This is a reason why academies especially the large MATs need more outside scrutiny and proper governance…. Which means the government needs to look at its role in the governance of these schools.
In the same borough a few years ago we had the case of child Q on which again it was the local authority having to commission a safeguarding report (One of which the government at the time said nothing to see here) which highlighted a national scandal (Without which the bravery of Child Q we would still be unaware of today). The issue isn’t the local authority but the system itself. These secondary schools came out of the experiment of this local authority Education being deemed ‘not fit for purpose’ and the learning trust was born…. But out of that also came the raise of the academy (And federations …. Greg Wallace …. No not that one …. Michael Gove’s mate …. Sorry there is 2 of them and they could both be Michael’s mate…. Deemed to be one of the best (7) head teachers in the country…. But that’s another story).
What happens when a system has been running for a length of time and generally becomes a monopoly in said area (At last information given and said by the last government…. With 44% of schools in the country either an academy or part of a MAT they saw the future as ALL schools being an academy or part of a trust and that was a few years ago), you have a mindset of basic arrogance of ‘God like’ which comes about when the ultimate feeling of being king of your own destiny and kingdom… ultimately it’s a matter of governance and scrutiny and accountability…. That’s why you need local authorities and local people with their knowledge and understanding to be able to play there part in Educating the locals…,, just in finishing these schools are in the shadows and in the shadows happen sometimes very dark things…. So I am hearing there is still more to come with Mossbourne not only in Hackney but in their new schools that joined the MAT in Essex recently
Mossbourne is so distressing even the CEO Peter Hughes broke down in tears when confronted with what he had to do to keep disabled students like me out.