A Lancashire primary school has said it is already taking action after Ofsted found improvements were needed across every area of its latest inspection.
Inskip St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Aided School, on Preston Road in Inskip, was inspected on September 15 and 16.
Under Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework, the school was rated as "needs attention" for achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing.
Ofsted said that while pupils' published outcomes had been positive over time, their learning was "not secure".
Inspectors found pupils' fundamental writing and number skills varied across the school and said children did not consistently remember important ideas across the curriculum.
The report said: "Progress from pupils' starting points, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs, is variable.
"Some pupils are well supported to make steady gains. However, this is not consistent across classes or subjects."
Inspectors also found that teaching was not consistently effective, with the quality of explanations, questioning and lesson design varying.
Support for pupils who need additional help was also described as inconsistent, with Ofsted saying individualised plans varied in quality and children did not always receive "the right help at the right time".
However, the report identified a number of strengths.
Phonics was said to be taught well, while pastoral support was described as a strength and pupils told inspectors they felt safe.
Attendance was also strong, with an overall absence rate of 2.2 per cent in 2024/25 compared with the national figure of 5.2 per cent.
Persistent absence stood at 5.3 per cent, compared with 13 per cent nationally.
Inspectors also said behaviour had improved following a review of the school's behaviour policy by its new leadership.
While Ofsted found previous expectations had not been high enough, behaviour was said to have recently become "generally calm", with pupils increasingly showing respect for staff and each other.
The inspection came amid significant leadership changes at the school.
The school said headteacher Kate Leyland decided to resign and left two weeks ago.
New associate headteacher Jonathan Ratcliffe had started in his role just five days before the Ofsted inspection, according to the school's response.
The Ofsted report said the new leader had already developed "a clear understanding of the school's priorities", although plans to address them remained in their infancy.
A spokesperson for Inskip St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Aided School said: “We recognise the improvements identified by Ofsted and are committed to addressing them.
“The report highlights areas where we need to do better, including improving the consistency of teaching, strengthening pupils’ core knowledge and ensuring children who need additional help receive the right support.
“It also recognises important strengths. Safeguarding standards are met, attendance is above national figures, phonics is taught well and pastoral support is a strength.
“The inspectors also recognised that behaviour has improved and pupils are generally calm and settled in school.
“Our new leadership has a clear understanding of the school’s priorities and has already begun taking action, with additional support and training in place.
“We will continue to work closely with Lancashire County Council, the Diocese and other partners to drive the improvements needed.
"We are now in the process of recruiting a new headteacher.
“We are grateful to our parents and carers for their continued support and remain committed to providing a safe, happy, supportive environment and the high-quality education every child deserves.”
Among Ofsted's next steps are improving the quality of teaching, strengthening mathematics knowledge, improving support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, further embedding new behaviour routines and improving monitoring by leaders and governors.
The school has 60 pupils against a capacity of 70.
Despite the concerns raised about how securely pupils retain their learning, its three-year average for pupils reaching the expected standard in combined reading, writing and mathematics was 69 per cent, compared with 61 per cent nationally.
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