St Matthew Academy Saint Joseph's Vale, London SE3 0XX

"I use to love St Matthews Academy. I have many friends that went to the school before it became an academy. I was very proud to have my daughter attend this school, who is still currently a student of the school. However, since my daughter started school last September. She has been experiencing bullying by older students. I believe she also is being singled out by her teachers, for her acting out because of bullying or defending herself against bullies. Bullying seems to be a common theme at this school. I have complained on many occasions and every time we do, I get "Well, did your daughter tell us" which I find very confusing, because how can she speak, if she feels she wont be heard. My daughter is constantly isolated in their BSR room or getting hour detentions after school and once they get a certain amount of behavioural points, this can lead into a Saturday detention too, which my daughter has had plenty of. Some of the teachers are very supportive but unfortunately this is only a small amount. I find that the teachers are very argumentative with me as a parent, nor do they take the time to listen to concerns. You will be argued with and dismissed like you are one of their students. They have anti-bullying policies in place and procedures to follow. I find that they are not always followed when reporting bullying to the child's parent. I've never been contacted regarding my daughter being bullied. But i have been called many times while at work after 6PM on many occasions for non emergencies and just to report her behaviour even if its small. I have often wondered if white students get treated the same way. St Matthew's pride themselves on diversity, which is true. A lot of their students are black, which is great. However, a lot of their senior members of staff are mainly white. I find that Black students are getting punished way more harshly than their white peers. It seems like they are trying to break my daughters spirit. My daughter doesn't feel safe, heard or accepted at St Matthews and the teachers are to blame for this. If i had known that my daughter would be going through this at the school, i would have NEVER sent my daughter there. It is affecting her emotional and mental well-being and something needs to be done."

"SMA has given my son and his friends fantastic opportunities and supported them to thrive, not just academically but in sports and arts. Teachers always go the extra mile to offer exciting opportunities like debating and house competitions. Fully recommend this school."

"I went to St Joseph's Academy as a student and moved over to St Matthew Academy when it first opened. Do not believe all the negative reviews that you may hear as this does not reflect the school at it's current state. St Matthew Academy held an open evening last night and it was very impressive. Parents and members of the local community loved seeing the pupils in action and the amazing facilities, pupils and options the academy has to offer. This school has come a long way since St Joseph's and it's recent GCSE results are the best the academy has ever seen. 5 stars out 5 for this school. Please come and see for yourself."

"I've been waiting about 4 years to write this review. St Matthew Academy is a terrible school and if reading this means just one parent stops their child from attending the Academy then it would mean a lot. This school is led by rigid, robotic morons who can't competently manage finances, let alone the school itself. Recent figures revealed that at least 80% of school money is spent on wages rather than being sensibly spent on improving facilities, with students often being restricted on simple materials such as exercise and text books. Teachers and students have become disillusioned with the situation they face on a daily basis, sometimes leading to a depressing atmosphere. Although, many, if not most of the pupils must also take responsibility for the continued failure of the school. A lot of people I had to share 5 important years of my life with were very rude, disruptive and disrespectful and I have to admit that this has negatively impacted on my confidence as it has many others for a fact. I have watched happy people become depressed in the space of 5 years! I was a member of the most successful cohort St Matthew Academy has ever had, yet I feel as though we've been the most badly treated. It's no surprise we were rated 'Poor' by Ofsted just a matter of months ago. The best teachers will continue to come and go, while history will continue to repeat itself. In a nutshell: Don't let your kids go to St Matthew Academy. Ever."

"My son joined this school as soon as he arrived in the Uk . He didn't speak any English at that time and the experience was terrible. It looks like to be in a jungle , very bad behaved pupils. Fights almost every day and teachers cannot do that much . My son was victim of bullying and several time didn't want to go in the morning and started crying . I managed to move him from that school eventually and thank God but I absolutely do not recommend that school not even if it's five minutes walk from your house. I know there are also good children but unfortunately I speak for the majority and we know, the bad apple always spoils the brunch."