Disappointed head slams Ofsted for ‘not giving true picture’ of Mansfield primary school

Asquith Primary School, which has 326 pupils on its books, filed a complaint about the verdict of the education watchdog, which subsequently delayed the publication of its report.

But the rating stood and headteacher Clare Harding could not disguise her dismay in a strongly worded letter she sent to parents at the weekend.

Mrs Harding wrote: “The school is disappointed with the report and does not feel it accurately reflects the hard work of the staff team and the progress and achievements of our children.

“Some of the evidence gathered in the inspection was not accurate or broad enough, and a true picture of the school was not given.

“We felt key pieces of evidence were ignored, such as test results and the significant progress made in developing subject leadership across the school.

“We believe Asquith has much to be proud of. We have a dedicated staff who put the needs of the children at the heart of what they do.

“We are proud of what our children achieve and the progress they make.

“We will continue to do what we believe is best for our children. We have clear priorities for the year ahead that recognise areas that need improvement.”

Areas of improvement identified by Ofsted inspectors included “inconsistencies in the implementation of the school’s curriculum”.

Their report said: “In some subjects, the work given to pupils is not always demanding enough.”

Inspectors were also concerned about the behaviour of “a few pupils” outside lesson time and urged staff to “apply high expectations”.

The teaching of reading was criticised too, with the Ofsted report calling on leaders to “make sure all pupils receive the support they need to become fluent, confident readers”.

The final area of complaint concerned the teaching of early-years children, aged three- five.

Although the inspectors accepted the children were “well looked after”, some did “not display consistently good attitudes to learning or behave appropriately without direct adult support”, because "staff have not established clear routines for children to follow”.

Asquith, which comes under the jurisdiction of Nottinghamshire Council, was handed a requires improvement rating in four of the five individual categories assessed, but was rated good for personal development.

The newly published Ofsted report, following a two-day inspection in March, does dish out lots of praise for the Asquith Street school.

It reads: “Staff put the care of pupils at the core of everything they do. They support the wellbeing of pupils and their families.

“Pupils become confident and resilient and learn to respect others. They say teachers make learning fun.”

The inspectors also hailed the school’s extra-curricular clubs, which “develop pupils’ interests and talents”. And lessons that promoted positive mental health and taught children about “a range of faiths and cultures and different types of families” were lauded.

The report found safeguarding was effective at Asquith and staff enjoyed working there, although more could be done to reduce their workload and "support them in managing the behaviour of some pupils”.

Governors were praised for “holding leaders to account effectively for the school’s performance”.