Teachers at a village school have come in for criticism from Ofsted - despite standards being above average.
Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School has just been downgraded from Good to Requires Improvement by the Government inspectorate.
Although extremely disappointed, headteacher David Kaye said that the school was still above average for Kirklees, and that steps were already in hand to remedy the weaknesses.
The Ofsted report said that pupils - especially the most able - were not making the progress they should in reading and maths, and that teaching required improvement across the school.
However, Lead Inspector James McGrath also said: “Pupils make good progress in writing and by the time they leave Year 6, standards are well above average.”
His report stated: “Teachers do not plan their lessons to make sure that all pupils are given work that gets the best out of them. Their expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough.
“There are lessons where teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour well enough. Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement as too often they lose concentration in lessons.
“Teachers do not manage their skilled teaching assistants well enough to make sure they are making a good contribution to learning throughout the whole of the lesson.”
Leaders were also criticised for too-detailed planning which was not clearly understood by staff and poor communication with parents. This had resulted in too few families being positive about the school.
“Attendance is above average and all pupils attend regularly. Pupils say they enjoy school and feel safe. In particular, they appreciate the extra clubs and activities that are organised for them.
“Governors have developed a good understanding of how well the school is doing.”
David Kaye said: “Ofsted highlighted a number of important strengths and it should not be forgotten that overall standards at our school are above average.
“Our overall performance puts us among the better performing schools in Kirklees. Standards in writing are well above average, which shows excellent progress after writing was raised as a key issue in our previous inspection.
“The report is also clear that children who attend our school are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.
“At the same time, the whole school is committed to addressing the issues raised in this report so that we achieve even higher standards in future.
“Steps were already being taken in several areas and we are confident that our work will continue to bring significant benefits, both in the short and long term.”
Almost all of the hilltop school’s 74 children are “white British”, according to Ofsted, and the proportion of them receiving free school meals is well below average. The inspector observed seven lessons taught by four teachers.
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