STANDARDS at Southfield Juniors have dropped in the last year according to a damning Ofsted report that has told the school to improve.

The inspection was carried out at The Highworth school in February by the education regulator, which found that in three out of four areas, improvements could be taken to fine-tune the pupils’ learning.

In the report, Ofsted said that while the school is improving, standards are still not yet good.

It added: “There have been four chairs of governance in five years and this has contributed to unstable leadership. The lack of strategic leadership in governance has left school leaders bereft of the challenge and support needed.

“Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s work lacks accuracy and precision. Priorities for improvement are not implemented quickly enough so progress is too slow.

“There is a lack of effective monitoring and accountability by middle leaders. As a result, pupils receive inconsistent experiences in teaching, learning and assessment across the school.”

Southfield Junior School converted to an academy in September 2011 and was rated as good.

But since then, Ofsted said teachers are not considering the specific needs of pupils, particularly the most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils, which as a result has seen pupils not being challenged sufficiently to attain the highest standards.

The report added: “Too often there is a focus on the activities that are to be undertaken rather than learning.

“As a result, the pupils are not clear about the purpose of their learning.

“Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not making adequate progress because expectations of their achievement are too low. As a result pupils are not achieving the expected attainment for their ability. The support has focused on nurture rather than standards.”

Despite the critical findings, Ofsted did praise the school for making sure pupils feel safe on the premises. Inspectors also found that the school’s ethos supports good behaviour and encourages pupils to show respect for their teachers and each other.

Headteacher Nicola Anderton said: “This rating is disappointing for all stakeholders. It does not reflect the dedication and passion of staff, governors and pupils.

“As a school we have taken on board the points identified to improve. This process is already underway.”