Disappointment as school is told to improve by Ofsted

Blackwell Primary, in Blackwell Farm Road, underwent a two-day inspection in December and the findings were published on January 11.

The school had previously been rated ‘good’, but a team of inspectors, led by Clive Dunn, judged it now ‘requires improvement’ – though the early years provision and the personal development, behaviour and welfare of the children were still found to be ‘good’.

Headteacher Penny Crocker is currently absent due to illness, but acting headteacher Sarah Murrell said: “Blackwell Primary School welcomes the recent Ofsted report as it provides a clear focus for our continued development.

"Naturally, the whole school community was disappointed with the overall judgment of requiring improvement, however we are already working on the areas identified by Ofsted and are putting together a robust action plan to ensure further progress.”

She added: “The ethos of the school remains the same – to be a safe, caring learning environment, and to help each child become well-rounded, confident and independent.”

In his report, Mr Dunn said teaching was not consistently strong enough and, over time, expectations of younger pupils’ capabilities had not been high enough.

He found the “variable quality” of teaching, learning and assessment meant children did not do well enough by the end of Key Stage 1, and those in Year 2 “still have a long way to go” to reach the standards of which they were capable.

The report acknowledged the leadership team at Blackwell was not at full strength due to Ms Crocker’s absence and Mr Dunn praised the efforts of Mrs Murrell to get the school back on track since she took of the head’s role.

He said: her “calm and resolute leadership” had kept the school “moving in the right direction” and added: “She is not just caretaking, but driving the school forward with purpose and determination.”

His thoughts were echoed by chairman of governors Stephen Cocks, who said Mrs Murrell provided “strong leadership”.

Mr Cocks added: “We were also pleased the report identified many areas of strengths across the school, including children achieving well in Reception, improving outcomes in Key Stage 2 and our polite, confident and friendly pupils.”

Mr Dunn described the early years leader as “a very positive role model” and said children made good progress, with those starting with skills below their age group catching up very quickly.

He was impressed with the behaviour of children all round the school, stating: “Pupils are confident, polite and friendly. They have good attitudes to learning, behave well and feel safe.”

While acknowledging overall attendance figures at Blackwell were above the national average, Mr Dunn said leaders needed to reduce the number of pupils who were frequently absent from school. This particularly applied to disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

He also called on them to raise expectations of what Year 2 pupils can achieve.

To read the full report, log on to the Ofsted website.

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