Staff at Wellow House School in Nottinghamshire shared concerns about the school’s safeguarding in emails seen by Nottinghamshire Life.

The school was criticised recently by the Independent Schools Inspectorate following a visit last October. The inspector’s report stated that the school was not as effective as it should be in safeguarding, pupils’ social and economic education, the wellbeing of pupils, the quality of education or the leadership and management.

It has now been revealed that staff members shared email expressing misgivings about the school’s safeguarding including pupils leaving the school grounds without permission by entering a neighbouring horse field belonging to a local stables.

Other concerns included older pupils wandering around and misusing the sports hall without staff supervision. In another emails one individual reported that pupils “regularly abscond” from the school unnoticed.

Wellow House School’s headteacher Stephen Thompson said: “Wellow House is deeply committed to fostering a love of learning and prioritising the wellbeing of our students above all else. As such, safeguarding measures are rigorously upheld to ensure the safety and security of every child within our care.

“We maintain strict adherence to all school protocols, with a dedicated focus on preventing any serious risks to our students. It is imperative to us that our school environment remains a safe and nurturing space for all. Regarding a historic concern raised around a year ago about children leaving the school premises without authorisation, we acted on this immediately and followed protocols to ensure that this matter was addressed swiftly and comprehensively.

“At Wellow House, safeguarding is paramount, and we have robust systems in place to ensure that pupils are supervised appropriately at all times. We continuously review and strengthen our safeguarding procedures to be maintained at the highest standards. For further enquiries or comments, please feel free to contact me and it would be good for you to visit us post inspection and maintain relationships.”