Pupils at a Rochdale Primary School had been identified as having special educational needs after teachers failed to assess them correctly according to the latest report by the School Inspector.
The OFSTED Inspection that took place at Lowerplace Primary School on Kingsway in March of this year found that the school requires improvement after being found to be outstanding at the last Inspection.
Inspectors found that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time varies too much across classes and subjects.
Some activities are unimaginative and pupils do not excel in their learning while weak teaching and assessment in the past mean that current pupils have gaps in their skills and knowledge.
The achievement of disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils is patchy across the school. Reviews of the impact of support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not always detailed enough. Some pupils struggle in their learning because their needs are not met well.
The inspectors did find that the school’s new senior leadership team is improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment quickly and that staff and governors fully support and understand the widespread changes.
The new team was brought in after the school was hit by allegations last year of cheating in the national SATs tests and the inspectors commented that the upheaval in the staffing of the school in 2016 had a negative impact on the quality of leadership, teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement.
“The school’s new leadership team, working tirelessly, have brought stability and a clear direction to the work of the school. The standard of teaching, learning and assessment are now improving rapidly.”
