Parents have 'lost confidence' in failing Sarratt primary school, according to an education watchdog report

Sarratt Church of England Primary School, The Green, was rated "inadequate", which is the lowest rating, after a two day inspection in October by Ofsted inspectors.

The school was previously rated "good" but the primary school requires special measures after inspectors said "there are pockets of good teaching, but these are the exception rather than the rule".

Margaret Priggs, interim head teacher at Sarratt Church of England Primary School, said: "I fully recognise the concerns parents must have as a result of this report but would like to reassure them that, with the ongoing support of Hertfordshire County Council, Herts for Learning and the Diocese of St Albans, we are working hard to turn the school around and we are already seeing some improvements. 

"I am confident the school will continue to improve quickly so that all pupils will benefit from good teaching that helps them all make the best possible progress."

In August, Hertfordshire County Council took action amid concerns about the management of the school but it refused to explain why they felt it was necessary to intervene.

Inspectors criticised the "substantive headteacher and governors", saying they "let the school decline from good to inadequate and have not demonstrated the capacity to bring about the sustained improvements needed to raise pupils’ achievement".

Concerns were also raised about the high staff turnover at the school. The report states: "There have been significant staff changes, particularly in the current Year 2 class where pupils have had ten different teachers since they started in Reception.

"Parents of pupils in this year group are quite rightly concerned about the impact this has had on their children’s educations."

Governors were also criticised for not holding the headteacher to account, not communicating with parents and for "failing to act on support and advice from the local authority".

However, inspectors noted the interim headteacher has identified priorities at the school, which has seen an improvement in teaching.

According to inspectors, "parents say that they want to support the school, but they feel let down by, and have lost trust in school leaders and governors. 

"Parents have lost confidence in the school."

Ofsted also described the teaching of mathematics as "weak" in some classes. 

The report said: "Instructions are not clear enough and teachers do not ensure that the pupils have all the skills they need to be able to both take part in the activity and make progress."

Despite the failings, the Ofsted report stated: "Pupils say they enjoy coming to school. They enjoy the different activities the school offers and are particularly enthusiastic about the music specialist who comes into school to teach them how to play different instruments."

Councillor Chris Hayward, Cabinet member for Enterprise, Education and Skills at the county council, said problems raised by Ofsted were being addresed by the interim head and the council would continue to support the school moving forward.