A HEADTEACHER said staff are working “extremely hard” to turn the tide after her new school was rated inadequate by Ofsted.
Fordham All Saints Primary School has had its outstanding status ripped away by the education watchdog which compelled its leaders to improve.
Pupils at the school in Mill Road, Fordham, were said to “mostly” enjoy their lessons but an inspector said arrangements for their safeguarding are “not effective”.
The school has seen change since the inspection in late November last year, with executive headteacher Julie Ingram being replaced by Ceri Daniels in January.
Mrs Daniels said there are positives to draw from the report which the school will continue to build on.
“We are committed to ensuring all pupils at Fordham All Saints Primary School receive the best possible education,” she said.
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“Following an inadequate Ofsted inspection, swift action has been taken to ensure immediate improvements are made particularly in relation to the safeguarding issues.
“All the staff team are committed and already working extremely hard to address all areas requiring improvement.
“There are positives in the recent report, including being rated as good for personal development. We will use this as a base from which to build improvement.
“I wish to thank the school community, particularly the parents, for their support.”
Overall, the school’s quality of education, early years provision and behaviour and attitudes were ranked as requiring improvement by the inspector.
The leadership and management was deemed inadequate but the personal development was “good”.
It represents a concerning decline since the school was rated outstanding following its last inspection in 2008.
The latest report stated: “Though most pupils understand the new expectations for their behaviour, staff apply them inconsistently.
“This shows in a small minority of pupils who disrupt the learning of others by calling out during lessons and in how a small number of pupils respond to and treat staff in the school.”
The inspector said pupils feel safe at school and trust staff to help them with their concerns.
“However, leaders do not manage safeguarding concerns well enough,” added the inspector.
“This puts pupils at risk of harm outside of school.”
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