'Standards too low for too long': Wolverhampton primary school hit with scathing report

Leadership, quality of teaching and behaviour have all been criticised at East Park Primary School which was visited by Ofsted last month.

Bosses at the school say new leadership has been put in place, with a new staffing structure and teacher training in a bid to improve.

Inspectors visited the Hollington Road school on February 9 and 10.

They said: "Academic standards at this school have been too low for too long. Year after year, many pupils have left year six ill-prepared for learning at secondary school."

Inspectors added that leaders have done 'very little' to check on the quality of teaching and learning, so ineffective practice has been allowed to continue.

The report adds: "Across the school, teaching and assessment are weak. Staff have been left to their own devices and different teachers have found different ways to check on progress. Consequently, there is little reliable information about how well pupils are doing."

Inspectors also found that pupils' behaviour in the dining hall is disorderly, in some classes, pupils are inattentive and newly qualified teachers have not been given proper support. The early years provision was also rated as inadequate.

However, the report said that strengths of the school included the new headteacher, who had 'formed an accurate view of the school's current performance and has ambitious plans'.

Hayley Guest, who became headteacher at the school in January, said: "The recent Ofsted report has indicated that East Park Primary requires some significant support. This is an important time for our school and the new leadership team has already made a range of improvements since January.

"We're in the process of restructuring staffing arrangements and teachers have benefitted from training from the Manor Teaching School which enable us to improve the quality of learning for pupils.

"Our children deserve the very best education and I and the rest of the staff are working incredibly hard to make sure they receive this. Whilst there is a lot of hard work ahead, it is also important to look towards the school's very bright future, and I'd like to thank parents for their continuing support at this challenging time."

Bosses have now been ordered to urgently improve the quality of teaching 'in order to eradicate underachievement and raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics'.

Inspectors have also said the school should improve pupils' personal development, improve provision in the early years and improve leadership and management.

Wolverhampton's education boss, Councillor Claire Darke, added: "This is a very disappointing inspection report but one which confirms the council's view that East Park was requiring significant support to improve.

"We have helped broker that support and are encouraged by the positive first steps that new headteacher Hayley Guest and her leadership team have taken over the last two months towards turning East Park Primary School around.

"Ms Guest is a strong leader with a proven track record of helping poorly performing schools to recover, and inspectors highlighted the ambitious plans that she has for East Park in their report.

"As a council, we are committed to raising education standards and giving our children the best possible chance to succeed, and I am confident the measures which are being taken by the leadership team at East Park Primary School will bring about rapid improvements."