An Abbots Langley school has failed to improve since its last Ofsted report and teaching at the school has been described as "inconsistent".

Tanners Wood JMI School, in Hazelwood Lane, was rated as "requires improvement" after a recent Ofsted inspection and the school’s headteacher, Mike Lansdown, has said he is "disappointed and somewhat surprised".

The primary school was previously inspected in October 2011 and was given the same grade as in this most recent report, although the branding of the grade has changed from "satisfactory" to "requires improvement".

The Ofsted inspector has written in the report that the leadership team’s impact on improving the quality of teaching has not been rapid enough since the last inspection. Documents state that teachers do not always plan well for lessons and on some occasions there is insufficient challenge for middle-achieving students and expectations are not high enough for the more-able pupils.

Also, in some lessons the accuracy of pupils’ work is not checked, which leads to mistakes being overlooked.

Mr Lansdown said: "We were disappointed and somewhat surprised at the overly negative tone of the report, given that the feedback relayed to senior leaders and governors during the inspection was actually positive and supportive.

"We will of course continue to work hard on securing the improvements that Ofsted suggest. I am absolutely confident that the next inspection will reflect the good practice widespread throughout the school."

According to the report, lessons are not often adjusted to accommodate the different needs of pupils in the class and good progress is not maintained in Key Stage 2, particularly in more-able students.

Mr Lansdown said: "Naturally, we are very disappointed with the report. An unusually high number of parents completed the Ofsted feedback and were very happy with the positive improvements we have made in the past two years. Pupils enjoy coming to school here and their behaviour and attitude to learning were highlighted as particular strengths.

"We pride ourselves on developing the whole child and our sporting achievements have been a regular highlight of the school year. Over the last two years we have built on the social and moral aspects of the curriculum with themed weeks, visitors and visits to enrich the learning. The high levels of parental engagement are testament to how the Tanners Wood community pulls together."

The document emphasises the school’s need to improve the quality of teaching, the progress of pupils and the effectiveness of management.