Give the Parents and Children of St Neots a Voice.

We are parents, carers and members of the St Neots community who are increasingly concerned about the experiences of children and families at Ernulf Academy and Longsands Academy, both of which are part of Astrea Academy Trust.

This petition is not about attacking individual teachers or members of school staff. We recognise the hard work that many staff carry out every day. Our concern is about the wider leadership, communication, decision-making and accountability of the schools and the Trust, and the impact that these issues have on our children and their education.

These concerns are not simply based on individual opinions.

Ofsted’s own published reports have identified issues which closely reflect concerns being raised by parents.

At Longsands Academy, Ofsted’s February 2024 inspection found that a significant proportion of parents did not support actions being taken by the school and that rebuilding positive relationships with parents remained a significant challenge. Ofsted also stated that changes within the school had caused frustration among parents, pupils and staff and called for clearer and more effective communication about why decisions were being made and actions were being taken.

The same inspection gave Longsands Academy a Requires Improvement judgement for Behaviour and Attitudes, despite the school’s overall effectiveness being judged Good.

In February 2025, Ofsted carried out an urgent inspection of Longsands Academy after concerns had been raised about safeguarding, leadership and management, and behaviour and attitudes. While Ofsted found safeguarding arrangements to be effective, its report continued to identify issues including staff turnover, inconsistencies in the application of the behaviour policy, attendance difficulties and the need to rebuild relationships with the parental community.

At Ernulf Academy, Ofsted’s January 2025 inspection found the school to be Good across its key judgements. However, Ofsted also recorded that a significant number of parents and carers reported problems with communication and felt that their concerns were not always acknowledged or dealt with in a timely manner.

Ofsted specifically stated that the school needed to take rapid action to strengthen communication so that parents and carers felt informed, valued and included in their child’s education.

We believe these findings matter.

A school cannot properly support children without a strong relationship with the families it serves. Parents should be able to raise legitimate concerns, receive meaningful responses and feel that their children’s experiences are listened to and taken seriously.

We are therefore asking Astrea Academy Trust and its Board of Trustees to:

• Listen directly to parents and pupils from both Ernulf Academy and Longsands Academy.

• Acknowledge the concerns being raised by families across St Neots.

• Provide greater transparency around major decisions affecting pupils and families.

• Improve communication between school leadership, the Trust and parents.

• Ensure that concerns and complaints are dealt with promptly, consistently and meaningfully.

• Review whether current policies and approaches to behaviour, attendance, pastoral support and parental engagement are genuinely working for the children they are intended to support.

• Provide parents with clear information about what actions will be taken in response to these concerns and how progress will be measured.

Most importantly, we want our children’s voices to be heard.

We are asking Astrea Academy Trust to recognise that the relationship between a school and its families is fundamental to children’s education and wellbeing.

This petition gives parents, carers, former pupils and members of the St Neots community an opportunity to share their experiences and demonstrate the strength of feeling within our community.

We are not asking for perfection. We are asking to be listened to, respected and included — and we are asking Astrea Academy Trust to take meaningful action.