PARENTS and former pupils have spoken of their 'devastating' experiences at an Oxford school and raised doubts that it can change.

The Oxford Academy in Littlemore was rated 'inadequate' on Friday and placed in special measures, after Ofsted raised concerns about bullying and poor behaviour.

It followed an inspection in November, after which the headteacher and governors left.

Pupils' parents are being encouraged to utilise meetings with the new interim head this week, who will discuss concerns one-to-one prior to holding a parent forum next Wednesday.

While new leaders are confident of a rapid turnaround, and have already implemented a raft of measures to raise standards, some Oxford Mail readers were dubious.

READ AGAIN: The Oxford Academy rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted

Commenting on Facebook, Sarah Singleton said: "This school went down ages ago.

"My daughter missed out on loads of education and then got kick[ed] out. If only they did things to help her instead of just sending her home...the school is shocking."

Also writing on Facebook, Sara Good said she pulled her son out of the school due to bullying and 'terrible communication'.

She added: "The school is a disgrace - such an awful shame for the children who are there and want to learn."

A former pupil called Poppy said she studied at the academy between 2010 and 2013.

She commented: "I was bullied devastatingly - I had the worst experience. One that’s stayed with me until now.

"This school is a disgrace!"

READ AGAIN: New school leaders are confident of improvements

Also commenting on Facebook, former pupil Shane Ashley Leach said there appeared to be 'no discipline' anymore, adding: "Don’t think even Harry Potter’s magic could turn this school around, but action speak louder than words."

However, some parents have defended the academy, which had previously been rated 'good' in 2016.

One mum commented: "So many parents now blame others for their children’s feral behaviour.

"Children ‘learn’ from their parents. If you’re not teaching them the basic boundaries and behaviours at an early age then don’t be surprised when they get in trouble at school."

A new interim headteacher and interim academy board have been parachuted into the school to boost standards and have already introduced new behaviour policies.

The River Learning Trust is providing support and has agreed in principle to take over the academy, which serves some of the most disadvantaged communities in Oxford.

ALSO READ: Academy partners with food bank to stop pupils going hungry

Ofsted published a report the week before last, about how 'stuck' schools - defined as those consistently rated less than good for 13 years or more - can turn things around.

The regulator's report said: "Poor education is not an inevitability of poor communities.

"The majority of schools in the most deprived areas have shown that they can provide good or outstanding education despite challenging contexts."

The Oxford Academy opened in 2008 and was rated 'satisfactory' in 2010, equivalent to today's 'requires improvement', 'inadequate' in 2012, 'requires improvement' in '2014' before finally gaining 'good' in 2016.

It replaced the Peers School on the same site, which was in special measures between 2005 and 2007.

ALSO READ (2008): Book documents the rise and fall of Peers School

Some 'recently unstuck' schools told Ofsted, according to the recent national report, that the influence of multi-academy trusts had been 'crucial' to their success.

The River Learning Trust is Oxfordshire's second-largest trust in terms of the number of schools it oversees, which include the well-reputed Cherwell School in Summertown and the new Swan School.

Its chief executive Paul James, who is a member of the interim academy board at The Oxford Academy, said he was confident the school would not get 'stuck'.

He said: "This [report] is the history of the school, it's absolutely not a sense of what it looks like now nor what it will look like.

"There is hope for the future, for these kids and for these communities."