While the rules can be strict and firm, the vast majority of children are well-adjusted, happy and well-cared for

We are parents and carers of current and former students at Mossbourne Community academy and Mossbourne Victoria Park academy, including parents of children with special needs. We feel the articles in the Observer do not represent the spectrum of experiences and opinions of parents, students and teachers (“Top London academies face mass claims of emotional harm as Whitehall acts on crisis” and “School in leading Mossbourne academy trust faces safeguarding review”).

To give just one example, the Department for Education has (we understand from the school) already investigated a series of allegations and found no evidence to support the concerns about safeguarding practices. Based on DfE school performance data, MVPA and MCA ranked in the top 10 out of 6,542 schools for “Progress 8” [progress across eight qualifications for pupils aged 14-16]. For schools where over 35% of students are disadvantaged, both academies are in the top five. In addition, MCA ranks first in the country for schools with over 50% disadvantaged students by Progress 8. SEND students and low prior attainers do exceptionally well.