Teaching needs to improve say the inspectors

Maple Tree Lower School in Sandy received the score from Ofsted.

Inspectors said that the achievement of pupils, quality of teaching and leadership and management all need to improve but that the pupils’ behaviour and safety is good.

The report says: “There is not enough good teaching to make sure that pupils make good progress in writing and mathematics. Some of the work is not hard enough for the more able pupils.

“Pupils’ work is not marked well enough.”

But there is some good teaching to build on. Senior leaders have identified the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are making improvements. Standards of reading and writing in Year 2 are rising steadily.

Head Pauline Duncombe said the report highlights many points that the school had already recognised it needed to improve.

She said: “The inspectors did recognise we’ve made some improvements in the last two years, particularly in the governance, which was positive for us and they recognise the good things.

“One of the key strengths was the quality of care in the terms of our safeguarding and the way we look after pupils is good.”