EDUCATION officials are helping staff at a North-East school after it was criticised by inspectors for having "serious weaknesses".

An Ofsted inspection of Bishopton Redmarshall Primary School, between Darlington and Stockton, found standards to be unsatisfactory in several areas.

The Ofsted report said: "The school does not provide an effective education for its pupils". It added that there were serious weaknesses in leadership and management.

The inspection - carried out last October - said that teaching and learning was unsatisfactory and found that while the governors were hard- working, they did not sufficiently hold the school to account.

After the inspection, the school, which has about 70 pupils, was classified as having serious weaknesses and education officers from Darlington local education authority (LEA) were drafted in to help improve the situation.

The school's headteacher, Gill Wray, has been on sick leave, but acting headteacher Helen Morgan said: "The commitment of the teachers, school staff, governors, parents and the LEA is superb.

"We now have a tremendous team working together that is moving the school forward rapidly."

Education bosses have produced an action plan to tackle the problems and this was sent to parents this week.

It aims to improve leadership, governance and self-evaluation and ensure teachers provide enough work to challenge students. An inspector will visit the school in May or June to examine what progress has been made.

The Ofsted report did praise the good moral, spiritual, cultural and social development of students as well as music education and the pupils' behaviour, attitudes to learning and attendance.

Tim Abbott, chairman of governors, said: "The school has had tremendous support from Darlington Borough Council's education department, from the diocese and from parents.

"We have implemented many changes since the Ofsted inspection last October that will help raise achievement. These include the appointment of extra teachers, the restructuring of staff responsibility, specialist training for teachers, training for governors and the appointment of additional local authority governors."

David Walker, the council's assistant director of education, said: "The school has already made good progress under the acting headteacher and it is now really helping itself. I am confident about the future."