A BLACKBURN primary school has been placed in special measures following concerns about extremely low pupil achievement.

An inspection by education watchdogs ofsted revealed St Stephen's Primary School was failing its children and was rated an overall grade four - the lowest possible grading.

The Robinson Street school bosses were slammed for inaccurate performance evaluations, setting learning goals for students that were not challenging enough and failing to promote equal opportunities.

However staff were praised for their commitment, creating a safe environment as well as ensuring pupils enjoy school.

Headteacher Eileen Don said: "We are already working hard to improve attainment and are firmly focused on making progress in this area.

"As highlighted in the Ofsted report, pupil performance is already becoming stronger and we will continue to monitor progress closely and look to improve the educational experience at every available opportunity.

"St Stephen's provides a safe and welcoming environment for its pupils who very much enjoy their experiences at the school.

"The merger of the infants into the new re-designated primary school and the move to state-of-the-art new facilities has been a massive positive and the future is looking bright."” The 485 pupil school moved into a new £5million building last year. The infant and junior school merged and created the borough's biggest primary school in the process.

Inspector Suzi Clipson-Boyles said: "Pupils' attainment at the end of year six is extremely low.

"While learning and progress are satisfactory, this is not sufficient to help pupils gain enough ground from their low starting points.

"As a consequence, they are ill-equipped for the next stages of their education and future economic well-being.

"There are some very early signs that learning is starting to improve."“ Parents were notified by letter that the school was now in special measures.