SIX Nottingham secondary schools and academies have been told by Government inspectors that they could be put into "special measures".
Schools watchdog Ofsted conducted eight spot-checks earlier this month to find out why results in Nottingham aren't as high as they are in other parts of the country.
The Post understands that Djanogly City Academy, in Forest Fields; Bulwell Academy; Nottingham University Samworth Academy and Hadden Park High, in Bilborough; Big Wood School, in Warren Hill; and Farnborough School, in Clifton, have been warned that their teaching may well be branded "inadequate".
This would mean they face regular monitoring inspections and a demand for swift improvement plans.
The schools may also be helped by better-performing schools from inside or outside of the city.
Teachers dislike the stigma of special measures because it can lead to parents taking better-performing children to other schools.
One of the six schools, Hadden Park, was judged "inadequate" earlier this year and is already due to become an academy in the new year, working with Bluecoat Academy in Aspley.
Meanwhile, Ellis Guilford School, in Basford, is likely to be given the second-worst rating of "requires improvement".
Nottingham Girls' Academy in Aspley is the only one of the eight schools visited by inspectors this month set to be in the clear.
One Nottingham teacher told the Post: "It is a worrying situation for everyone concerned. What is vital now is what is done next.
"What is for sure is that this will do nothing for morale among the teachers of Nottingham.
"It will leave staff feeling demoralised.
"However it is right that schools and academies are held accountable. It must be recognised that there isn't a quick fix. A lot of work needs to be done during the coming years."
Nottingham North MP Graham Allen, whose constituency includes many of the schools, said the inspections were unfair on the schools.
He added: "It is totally the wrong message to send to our incredibly hard-working staff and pupils who are steadily improving results.
"For one school, this was the third full inspection it had undergone in nearly three years."
Government inspectors arrived in Nottingham on Monday, November 11.
At the end of their week-long blitz they presented head teachers with a verbal report of their findings. Teachers and parents will be given the inspectors' written reports on or around Monday, December 9.
