SO, THE box-ticking inspectors have swooped down from their lofty perches on to Birchen Coppice Primary School and have hung their label of ‘special measures’ round their poor necks.

Is this the same school I visited on their Brazil Day when their school looked ahead for the life and culture of this year’s Olympic hosts?

This was the school’s initiative, no one told them they has to do it.

Having lived in Brazil, I was invited for the day to help in this admirable enrichment special.

My impression of the school was wholly positive, orderly, friendly, welcoming, and my impression of the children was that they were happy, active and purposeful.

Among the other enrichments on offer at the school, I understand, are a residential visit for Year 4s to the outdoor centre in west Malvern and a week-long residential visit for Year 6s to the centre in Snowdonia. These visits could not go ahead without the determination and goodwill of the staff and the children, of course, have to be accompanied.

The visits offer huge opportunities for personal growth and for teamwork and co-operation, as well as the development of physical skills.

No doubt Ofsted would want to highlight all of this in their report?

Not a mention of it. They can only measure the easily-measurable (they were only in the school two days) so personal growth has to be much too delicate for their crude measuring devices.

Maybe it is those who will be bothering the school for the next two years who really deserve the label ‘special measures’ hung around their necks.

Instead, all my positive feeling and my sympathy are for all the children, their families and the staff on the school, who, for the time being have got to live with this negative assessment of all their great efforts.

Charles Eden Malvern