Staveley school labelled 'inadequate' after damning Ofsted report

Poolsbrook Primary Academy was found to be 'Inadequate' by Ofsted for effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment - and for outcomes for pupils - as well as overall.

'Early years provision' and 'personal development, behaviour and welfare' were rated as 'Requires Improvement'.

This is the school's first Ofsted rating since conversion into an academy in 2016, under the Cavendish Learning Trust.

Before this it was known as Poolsbrook Primary School, which achieved a 'Good' rating in 2012.

Ofsted said: "Poolsbrook Primary Academy does not provide an acceptable quality of education. Over time, the trust’s leaders and governors have not demonstrated the skills necessary to identify and address weaknesses in leadership and teaching. They allowed the school’s performance to decline for too long before intervening.

"The quality of teaching varies considerably across the school. It is not strong enough in too many classes. This, combined with a legacy of poor teaching in the past, means that throughout the school, pupils have gaps in their learning that impede their progress."

Though pupil behaviour at the school was found to be 'good' and the relationships between between staff and pupils 'strong', the report adds: "The attainment and progress of pupils at the end of key stage 2 have declined over the last three years. Pupils are not well prepared for their secondary schools."

The report (which can be accessed in full here) gives further instructions on how the school can improve.

The Derbyshire Times has contacted Poolsbrook Primary Academy for comment.