A SALISBURY primary school has been found inadequate by Ofsted and placed in special measures.

An inspector said pupils at Longford Primary School are not progressing quickly enough in Key Stage 2, teaching is inadequate and behaviour needs improving, but the new leadership team that was put in place just weeks before the inspection has vowed to continue making improvements.

The small school in High Road, Britford, was visited by an Ofsted inspector in October last year and the report, which was published on Friday, found the school had dropped from being ‘satisfactory’ at the previous inspection to ‘inadequate’.

The inspector said the school was inadequate in the key areas of achievement of pupils, quality of teaching and leadership and management and required improvement in the behaviour and safety of pupils.

The report said: “Teaching over time is inadequate as teachers do not accurately assess how well pupils are doing and are too optimistic about the levels they have reached. During lessons, the tasks teachers have prepared are often not hard enough. Teachers do not expect pupils to work at the highest levels of which they are capable.”

The report highlighted some strengths – that pupils feel safe, have a strong appreciation for others’ lives and cultures and get on well.

It also said some of the issues identified at the previous inspection remain but said the new headteacher had an accurate view of the school.

Debbie Cockrean was appointed as the new headteacher in September and had started putting changes in place when inspectors visted.

She said: “We welcome Ofsted’s views of our school and also their acknowledgement that we are on the right track to make real improvements. In just a short space of time a great deal of work has been carried out to improve the school for the pupils and now, with the support from the local authority, we will press on with improving the quality of teaching and learning in an environment where all our pupils can thrive.”

Stuart Fowler, the new chairman of the governors, said: “The governing body is committed to supporting the leadership team in taking forward the areas of improvement required and would like to thank the parents for their continued support and positive comments about the school.

“We are confident by the time the inspectors return the improvements required will be embedded and this will be reflected in our grading.”