A PRIMARY school has been placed in special measures after a scathing Ofsted report which called for rapid improvement.

Inspectors said Richmond Church of England Primary School must improve the quality of teaching so pupils in all year groups were appropriately challenged, especially in maths and literacy, and that inconsistencies in marking should be addressed.

It added that the leadership of the school also needed improvement, including the way information is used to assess and record the school’s performance; checking the quality of teaching and ensuring all staff meet the expected standards and are held to account for closing gaps in pupils’ achievements.

Governors were also called upon to provide a “robust challenge for leaders and carry out their own checks”. An external review of governance and of the school’s use of the pupil premium, is also recommended.

Inspectors Wendy Ripley, Suzanne Lithgow, and Lesley Richardson acknowledged that pupils are courteous and polite, well cared for and feel safe at school and commended the wide range of clubs and sports activities available.

It was also recognised that pupils make a good start to their education in the early years, however inspectors called for an action-plan to improve the quality of teaching to the highest levels and to strengthen the school’s leadership, management and governance in order to achieve this objective.

Inspectors said: “Governors do not have an accurate picture of the school’s weaknesses or the extent of pupils’ underachievement.

“They have been too reliant on the overly positive reports from the headteacher and have not questioned the content and inaccuracies sufficiently - their ability to support and challenge school leaders, reward good teaching, tackle underperformance and monitor the use of resources is compromised and not rigorous enough.”

The school’s governing body, North Yorkshire County Council, and the diocese are working closely together to support the school to raise standards swiftly.

Chairman of governors Jim Jack said: “This school is a strong community with enthusiastic, hard-working staff and a great group of children.

“We believe that issues identified by Ofsted can be addressed quickly while still maintaining everything that is already good in the school.

“We all remain totally committed to ensuring that our children receive the best quality all-round education possible.”

Partnerships with other local good and outstanding diocesan schools have been established in order to share good practice, and a consultant headteacher is working alongside school leaders.

Councillor Arthur Barker said: “Our priority in North Yorkshire is for all children to have access to good or outstanding schools - they deserve nothing less.

“We are supporting Richmond Church of England Primary School through this challenging period and will work with all partners to make sure children in the community are given quality teaching and learning and that provision improves rapidly.”