A MEETING was held at Bradford Girls’ Grammar School (BGGS) after serious concerns were raised at the highest level.

The Telegraph & Argus last week reported on a letter, sent to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, from Bradford West MP Naz Shah where she said she felt the school was “lacking transparency, withholding information and has a culture of silencing concerns through worrying undertones, rather than collectively working with parents”.

She added that "parents feel at times the school's leadership rather than working with them, treats them with contempt". 

After the concerns came to light, Ms Shah met with the school’s leadership and said: “I am pleased that I have met with the school alongside Councillor Imran Khan, portfolio holder for education, seeking reassurances following serious concerns raised by a number of parents.

“I remain committed to working with both concerned parents and the school to move forward in the best interests of the education of young people which remains at the centre of the efforts on all sides.

“I feel reassured that this is an outcome that can be achieved through further dialogue. 

“I will be happy to share further updates following further discussions.”

Cllr Khan added: “We were able to discuss in detail some of the issues raised by concerned parents and are working towards addressing any misunderstandings.

“I look forward to continuing that dialogue and ensuring that both the school and parents are able to come together to offer the best possible opportunities, in a positive environment, for all students at BGGS”.

A spokesperson for the Squire Lane school said it had been an “open and productive” meeting addressing the issues in her letter.

They said: “During the meeting, we were able to convey our ongoing and positive commitment to working closely with parents, and also demonstrate how continuing to provide a supportive and positive environment for our pupils is of paramount importance to us.

“We are pleased that Ms Shah MP feels reassured that a positive outcome can be achieved through further dialogue and we look forward to these future discussions.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to share our heartfelt thanks for the messages of support from our parent community.

“Acting in the best interests of our pupils underpins every decision we make and we will continue to uphold this commitment and invite parents to engage with us in order to achieve our shared goal of providing them with the best possible education.”