A PRIMARY school has been criticised for its “weak” teaching and failure to properly prepare children for secondary school after it was rated inadequate by Ofsted.

St Chad’s CofE (VA) Primary School, in Upper Green Lane, Brighouse, had previously been rated good before its most recent inspection in April.

The leadership and teaching at Key Stage 2 was heavily criticised by Ofsted, but it did recognise the school’s good provision for early years and pupils with special education needs.

It said: “From their starting points in Year 3, most pupils make poor progress in KS2.

“Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was low. Pupils are not well prepared for secondary school.

“Teaching in KS2 is weak. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are low. Teachers’ assessment of pupils is inaccurate and gaps in pupils’ learning go unnoticed. Planned activities often fail to meet pupils’ needs and abilities.”

Other issues raised included expectations of pupils’ presentation, productivity and behaviour being to low, with pupils not having pride in their work and not producing enough of it.

Pupil behaviour was also an issue raised, with activities failing to engage pupils.

Ofsted also said leaders have “an overgenerous view of teaching and outcomes” which “stems from inaccurate assessments of pupils’ achievement and weaknesses in checking the quality of teaching”.

School leaders were also criticised for not responding quickly enough to address weak teaching, and the school’s governors do not understand their roles well enough.

However, teaching and achievements in KS1 were found to be good, SEN pupils are well served and make good progress, pupils’ personal development and well-being is strong, and attendance is above average.

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Councillor Megan Swift, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “The top priority for the Council and St. Chad’s is for young people to achieve their full potential.

“We recognise that there are issues at the school, but we are confident that it has the capacity to make the necessary improvements quickly.

“The Ofsted report, while disappointing, does highlight the strength of the teaching at Early Years and at KS1.

"The issues around KS2 are being addressed by the school leadership and support from the Council, through this support there has already been strong improvement, which is evident in outcomes for this year.

“The school has a strong team who are thoroughly committed to their pupils and with further experienced staff starting for the next term we are confident that the school will turn things around.

"We will work with the school to ensure the necessary improvements are made and continue to give our full support.”

Graeme Genty, St Chad’s head teacher, added: “Staff and governors at St Chad’s are disappointed but recognise that Ofsted judged our school to be inadequate and that the main reasons behind this were the lack of progress and outcomes for the children through KS2.

"We were however very pleased that Ofsted recognised the many great strengths that we are proud of and that are embedded within our school ethos. These included the high quality provision we have in place within Early Years and KS1, the good progress made by children with SEND, the excellent quality of phonics teaching in school and the strong way in which we support the children’s personal development, well-being and social, moral and cultural development.

“There are many other strengths identified in the report and as a school, we are now determined to quickly address the KS2 priorities for development.

"We have an action plan in place to address the areas that require improvements, and have already taken significant steps, including the appointment of new and experienced staff, to improve our KS2 provision. Senior leaders, teachers and governors are working hard to ensure that the school improves and provides the best possible learning experience for all pupils to achieve their potential.

“The initial effects of this work have already had an impact, demonstrated in the very strong KS2 SATs results that we have achieved this year, which we are proud of and will now continue to build on.

"We are certain that with the support we have from our school community, The Diocese of Leeds, Calderdale Council and our dedicated staff team, we will be able to ensure that St Chad’s quickly returns to being a successful school for our children and young people.”