Two schools in Greater Manchester have been told they need urgent improvement following Ofsted inspections.
St Thomas’ Church of England Primary in Stockport has been placed in special measures with inspectors raising concerns about teaching, attendance and leadership.
Ravensfield Primary in Dukinfield, already in special measures after staff reported violence towards teachers had reached “untenable levels”, had only made minor improvements, inspectors said.
The CLIC Trust, which runs Ravensfield, said management “recognised the seriousness of Ofsted’s findings” and were committed to “delivering rapid improvements”. St Thomas’ Primary School has been contacted for comment.
The government watchdog found the Stockport school was “failing to provide an acceptable standard of education”.
It was criticised for leaving pupils “ill-equipped” for the next stage of their education, with a “patchy” knowledge of most subjects.
According to the report, too many children were also persistently absent, the Local Democracy Reporting Service, external said.
Lead inspector David Spruce found pupils had been “hindered by a range of factors that ultimately stem from ineffective leadership and governance”.
Weaknesses in curriculum design and teaching practices had not been sufficiently addressed and leaders had not tackled “deep-rooted attendance issues”, he said.
Although these had been highlighted previously “they largely persist”, he said.
However, the watchdog praised the school’s early years provision, saying youngsters “get off to a good start” and “enjoy warm, positive relationships with their teachers”.
