Walsall schools rated as inadequate
Another four schools in Walsall have been rated inadequate and placed in special measures, it emerged today.
Palfrey Junior School, Kings Hill School in Darlaston, Bloxwich CE Primary and Lodge Farm JMI in Willenhall are the latest in the borough to be told improvements are needed by education watchdogs.
Ofsted have now placed more than half a dozen schools across the borough into special measures in the past few months. At Bloxwich, achievement was said to be inadequate, teaching required improvement and expectation for pupil achievement was 'not high enough'.
School leaders were criticised for not doing enough to promote good attendance, which has been below average for the past three years. Inspector Kerry Rochester said: "Leaders' systems for checking the work of the school lack rigour. Leaders do not have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and have failed to deal with inadequate practice."
The school, with 303 pupils, received praise for pupils getting on well together.
Inspectors said the headteacher and senior leaders at Palfrey Junior School had not addressed key issues from the past inspection. Inspector James Henry said achievement was inadequate.
Inspectors said the acting head had brought a new drive to bringing about improvements, although the impact was yet to be seen at the school, which has 360 pupils.
At Kings Hill Primary, which has 296 pupils, inspectors noted attainment at the end of year six was 'well below' average. Despite praise for pupils being courteous and children making good progress in nursery and reception, progress was 'particularly poor' in years three to six.
At Lodge Farm JMI, which has 320 pupils, inspectors said there was too little emphasis on teaching literacy skills, pupils had too few opportunities to assess their own work and showed a lack of respect to staff in some lessons.
Council leader Mike Bird said it was 'disappointing' but he believed inspections had been made harder by Ofsted, adding: "The Ofsted inspectors have upped their game. But we shouldn't overlook the fact that if a school's not up to standard, it's not up to standard."
