Report finds education declines at primary school
Langdale CofE Primary SchoolA primary school has been told to take urgent action after a watchdog found a decline in the quality of education.
Ofsted inspectors visited Langdale CofE Primary School in Cumbria in March, and found that governors had not paid "enough attention to the academic success of different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils".
The report found leaders have not been able to make decisions consistently in the best interests of pupils, but inspectors noted "staff morale was high" with leaders being considerate of the staff's wellbeing and workload.
Stephen Carter, vice-chair of governors at the school of 33 pupils, said the facility was "absolutely determined to take on board every point" and said he did not want it to "overshadow the many, many brilliant things about Langdale".
Inspectors found that governors had "not provided sufficient challenge on the quality of the curriculum or pupils' achievement".
The report detailed governors "failed to ensure that the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection have been addressed in full" so "the school's effectiveness has declined rather than improved over time".
Inspectors said governors have not met their statutory duty to support the wellbeing and workload of leaders, with appropriate action not being taken when concerns were raised.
Leaders and governors do not have the capacity to bring about the improvements to many aspects of the school's provision, the report added.
GoogleCarter, who is also a parent at the school, said the community "loved our school".
"We are absolutely determined to take on board every point in the Ofsted report and address them very quickly.
"But we're also determined this not overshadow the many, many brilliant things about Langdale, the huge dedication and effort teachers have put in to the classroom, and the ethos that makes us special," he added.
Jennie Hill, a parent of two children at the school, said she "remained very optimistic about the future".
Hill said she was "naturally disappointed about the result" but added it was a "wonderful school at the heart of a fantastic community".
She said the school would "get through this and make Langdale better than ever".
