'Pupils have been let down': Wolverhampton primary school rated 'inadequate'
The quality of education at a Wolverhampton primary school has been judged to be inadequate following an inspection by education bosses.
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary Academy in Parkfields, provides education for 196 pupils aged five to 11 years old.
The school, in Malins Road, is registered as an ‘academy converter’, which is a formerly maintained school that has voluntarily converted to academy status.
In an Ofsted report, lead inspector Heather Phillips said: “Over the last three years, the standards that pupils reach have been too low. Pupils have been let down by a poor-quality education. They underachieve in almost all subjects.
“Leaders have not implemented effective plans to improve the school. Lack of leadership capacity should be addressed without delay. Improving the quality of education should be the top priority.
“Staff have not had sufficient subject training. As a result, pupils do not learn many important aspects of subjects. For example, in science there is no plan for scientific enquiry and investigations are carried out in an ad hoc way.
“Many pupils struggle to remember what they have been taught and have gaps in their understanding.
“Pupils’ work in books is often unfinished or of a low standard. Teachers do not address poor presentation and therefore pupils do not take pride in their work.
“In the past, pupils disrupted learning and attitudes were poor. Most pupils now behave well and few are excluded from school.
“However, in some lessons pupils drift off task and do not concentrate. This is because work does not build well on what has been learned before.”
Weak
The report added: “Curriculum planning is weak. Teachers are unclear about what pupils should know already and what they need to learn next. As a result, content is missed out, taught in a jumbled way or not covered in sufficient depth.
“In mathematics, pupils do not make the progress they should. Leaders have not adapted plans to address gaps in pupils’ mathematical knowledge."
The report also says the school has not targeted funding for disadvantaged pupils well enough, and that as a result there was a widening gap between the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and their peers.
However, the inspection highlighted a range of activities offered by the school to broaden pupils’ experiences. These include visits to museums and different places of worship, and clubs such as Spanish and archery.
Since September, a multi-academy company (MAC) has been working with the school to support staff and provide training.
The report added that school leaders currently did not have the capacity to make the improvements needed. Both the MAC and the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham were helping leaders build the capacity needed, it said.
No-one from the school was available to comment.
