Fylde coast school placed in special measures for 'failing to provide acceptable standard of education'

A school has been placed in special measures after inspectors concluded it was "failing to provide an acceptable standard of education".

Ofsted inspectors discovered pupil attendance was lower than the national average and pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) were not doing as well as expected. They also found teachers were failing to crackdown on disruptive behaviour in class making learning hard for youngsters.

Now leaders and governors at 282-pupil Charles Saer Community Primary School have been told improvements must be made immediately.

Special measures is the most serious category applied to schools by Ofsted. If a school in special measures fails to improve it can be forced to become part of an academy or even closed down.

The report, compiled by lead inspector Dianne Holcroft, paints a grim picture of everyday life at the school on Grange Road, Fleetwood. It says pupils are failed as soon as they enter the school with early years provision described as failing to help youngsters "build their knowledge".

Particular criticism is reserved for the teaching of SEND children where pupils do not receive "consistently effective support". Inspectors report: "Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve or attend as well as they should."

Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of children at the school have special educational needs support and this part of the school was marked for urgent improvement. The inspectors said: "Pupils with SEND fall furthest behind. As a result too many pupils leave Year Six without the knowledge they need for secondary school."

Poor attendance and behaviour was also singled out by the inspection team. The report reveals: "Pupils' rates of attendance are far lower than the average for the whole country. Too many children have too much time off school.

"This disrupts learning. Disadvantaged pupils miss the most school and this compounds their poor achievement." And the inspection team also reported that lessons were often disrupted by bad behaviour.

"Pupils do not behave well enough to learn in too many lessons," says the report. “Staff do not apply the school's behaviour policy consistently. As a result, many pupils do not experience the calm, orderly environment they need."

However, staff did receive praise for the way they tackled bullying, with inspectors noting: "Bullying occurs, but adults respond quickly and effectively. Leaders make clear that discrimination, harassment and abuse are not tolerated."

The school's leaders and governors were criticised for not responding to recommendations for improvements in its previous Ofsted report. "Leaders have not acted with sufficient urgency since the previous inspection to raise staff's expectations of what pupils can achieve," said inspectors.

In particular, leaders were taken to task for not acting with "sufficient urgency" to improve pupils' standards of education and improving the school for SEND pupils. Ms Holcroft said: "As a result disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND receive little of the support they need to be successful at school."

The report's conclusion admitted children felt safe at the school but in educational terms were being short-changed. It said: "Pupils at this school do not achieve as well as they should. Not enough is expected of them.

"Pupils have wide gaps in their knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics, which are not closing fast enough. Too many pupils are frequently absent from school, which widens the gaps in their learning, inconsistencies in staff's expectations men that pupils' learning is ofted disrupted by poor behaviour.

"Pupils told inspectors that they want their lessons to be calmer, so they can learn more.”

The school has been ordered to improve in all areas, pending another Ofsted inspection.

Charles Saer Community Primary School has been approached for comment.