A Barrow primary school needs significant improvement, according to the education watchdog.
Vickerstown Primary School was visited by Ofsted inspectors in March, and their report was published yesterday.
It said the school, on Mill Lane, was performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.
It said urgent attention was needed at the school, as over time, too few pupils have reached the expected standard across subjects by the end of Year 6.
It added: “This includes disadvantaged pupils, who achieve significantly below their peers.
“Across year groups, pupils do not secure the important basic knowledge that they need.
“Errors in spelling, handwriting and grammar persist across year groups. This is particularly true for disadvantaged pupils. That said, pupils’ retention of knowledge is more secure, and can be demonstrated orally, although this is not reflected in their written work, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
“Many pupils have not secured strong foundations in reading. This includes phonics, where outcomes have been persistently weak.
“Similarly, pupils do not have a secure understanding of working with numbers, such as multiplication tables. Leaders are beginning to address these gaps. However, these improvements are at an early stage.”
It said far too many pupils underachieved.
The school has 174 pupils and has provision for eight SEND pupils.
While inspectors praised attendance and behaviour at Vickerstown, the report said: “Teaching does not help pupils to learn consistently well.
“Teachers do not identify and address errors in pupils’ spelling, handwriting and grammar effectively enough. This means that pupils do not get the help that they need to write accurately and fluently.
“Leaders do not make sure that teachers adapt their teaching to meet pupils’ needs effectively.
“This particularly affects disadvantaged pupils and many pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils do not receive the consistent and targeted support that they need.
“Some pupils with SEND are not able to access the school’s curriculum successfully. Disadvantaged pupils do not always get the help that they need to catch up quickly.”
However, it added that the school’s leaders had designed an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum, despite the shortcomings in delivery.
The report said: “Leaders have begun to take action to address these weaknesses. These are at an early stage. They have not brought about the needed changes to teaching and learning since the previous inspection.”
The school has pledged to continue driving up standards after its latest Ofsted inspection.
It said leaders and trustees have spent the past year implementing changes at the school to address areas of concern. Inspectors recognised this ‘decisive and purposeful’ action.
“They understand the school’s context well,” they said. “This helps them to make decisions in the best interests of pupils. This is beginning to have a positive impact on the quality of education.”
Current executive headteacher Caroline Vernon worked alongside Mick Cull, who was leading the school at the time of the inspection and has now returned to Ormsgill.
She said: “Mick and I both recognised there were areas of the school that needed to improve and together we put in place a clear plan to strengthen the quality of education for our children.
“The inspection took place while much of that work was still in its early stages, so it is understandable that inspectors were not yet able to see its full impact.
“I am now building on the foundations that Mick helped establish and continuing to drive those improvements forward with our staff, governors and trust colleagues. While we know there is more work to do, we are already seeing encouraging signs of progress, particularly in phonics, where recent outcomes have improved significantly.”
Chair of Governors Jenny Crellin said: “The inspection identifies areas where we need to improve and as governors we accept those findings.
“Over the past year, school leaders, staff and trustees have taken decisive action to strengthen teaching, enhance support for pupils with additional needs and ensure every child achieves their full potential.
“We are encouraged that inspectors recognised the purposeful steps already taken and the positive impact beginning to emerge. While we know there is still work to do, we are confident that the plans now in place are the right ones and that improvements will continue to accelerate.
“Vickerstown School is at the heart of its community and our priority remains providing the high-quality education that every child and family deserves.”
