EDUCATION watchdogs Ofsted have placed a Warrington primary school in “special measures.”
Inadequate teaching, poor accommodation and poor leadership and management are blamed for the problems at Bewsey Lodge Primary.
Although the leadership team is committed to improving the school they do not have all the necessary skills, say the inspectors.
Overall, the Ofsted inspectors say the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable education, nor does the school provide value for money.
However, staff at the school are confident it will soon improve and deliver a high quality
education service for its pupils.
The headteacher, in conjunction with the borough council, has already begun to implement a range of improvements.
The inspectors’ report highlights many positive aspects of the school, stating that the early years provision is a particular strength of the school and also that children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress, as do those who do not speak English at home.
A good range of after-school clubs, visits and visitors add further interest and enjoyment, while good methods of communication help to ensure that parents are kept well informed about their children’s progress.
One of the strengths of the school is pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They enjoy school and behave well.
The inspectors also noted the work of the headteacher and the recently established leadership team in bringing about positive improvements for example to classrooms and buildings.
The inspectors also noted that parents have positive views of the school. The overwhelming majority of parents who completed a questionnaire agree that their children enjoy school.
Borough council chiefs say the school will fully take on board the recommendations in the report.
Headteacher Amanda Casey said: “There are no overnight solutions but we are committed to making significant changes and we are working hard to address the issues in the Ofsted report. I am also delighted with the many positive aspects of our school, which the inspectors highlighted, and we intend to build on these for the future.”
Pinaki Ghoshal, head of service for school improvement and inclusion said: “I want to reassure parents, staff and pupils alike that the council will work in partnership with the school to bring about swift improvements.”
At the last inspection, the school was judged to be “good”. The inspectors say it has not taken effective steps to maintain or improve its effectiveness since then, although they admit this is partly because the school has undergone a recent period of turbulence and staffing difficulties.
Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 do not do well enough because of inadequate teaching, says Ofsted. Standards are exceptionally low in English, mathematics and science.
