Improvement vow as Whitchurch primary school rated inadequate by Ofsted

Inspectors who visited Whitchurch C of E Junior School in November this year raised concerns with the quality of teaching and the way the school is managed.

At their previous inspection in January 2013 the school was rated as good.

Now the school says it wants to become good again as soon as possible, and has already begun work to address the areas for improvement identified by Ofsted inspectors. Headteacher Diana West said: “We are extremely disappointed by the inspection outcome. Only one week prior to the inspection, feedback from parents was the most positive that we have had in recent years with 100 per cent of parents indicating that they feel their child is well taught and 100 per cent of parents stating that they would recommend the school to another parent. Recent external reviews of the school have also felt the school to be in a stronger position than the inspection reflects.

“Nevertheless, the inspection team has identified that the school requires significant improvement and we have taken this on board. We are absolutely determined to ensure that we quickly return to our Ofsted status as a good school and have already begun our fight back to address the priorities for improvement.”

Although inspectors raised a number of concerns, their report does highlight a number of strengths. They found that children behave well, and report improvements in the standards of pupils’ writing, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and the development of artistic learning within the curriculum.

Karen Bradshaw, director of children’s services with Shropshire Council, said: “It is clear that there are issues that need to be addressed. However, the headteacher, staff and governors have already begun work with the support of advisers from the council to address these priorities. We are all committed to making the necessary improvements to ensure the best possible provision for all pupils at the school.”