ANOTHER Forest school has been declared inadequate by inspectors and put into ‘special measures’.

St John’s Academy in Coleford – which was previously a ‘good’ school – has been “ineffective in driving forward improvements since becoming an academy.”

Effectiveness of leadership, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, outcomes for pupils and early years provision were all deemed “inadequate” by the inspection team from Ofsted.

But they did say the school successfully promotes pupils’ personal development and welfare, and youngsters enjoy school and are polite and treat each other and all adults with respect.

The Diocese of Glou­cester says the school is implementing a ‘robust’ action plan to address the situation.

The school is the latest in a number in the district that have fallen foul of inspectors.

Senior staff and governors at St John’s “have not tackled the serious shortcomings in the school’s effectiveness swiftly and with urgency.”

Leaders at the school also have an “over-generous view of the school’s performance and the quality of education it provides.”

The report states: “Since converting to be an academy in September 2012, leaders have received little external scrutiny or challenge.

“This inspection has revealed significant weaknesses in the school’s effectiveness.”

Inspectors said the quality of teaching and learning over time has been inadequate with teachers not held to account for the quality of their teaching and the impact it has had on pupils’ progress.

Teachers are also accused of not inspiring their pupils to learn and do not have high enough expectations of what the youngsters are capable of achieving.

Inspectors also found pupils do not make good enough progress, leaving them “not well prepared for the next stage of their education.”

Parents were invited to a ‘post-Ofsted’ meeting at the school last week to discuss the report and their concerns.

One parent told the Review, the school was “in denial”.

He said: “The report puts the school in the bottom category and lists failures in management and governance.

“It makes disturbing reading – this school is letting down pupils and is in denial.

“It has failed to deliver for the majority of its pupils and displays an over-optimistic view of pupil progress.

“Perhaps this report will concentrate their minds on the remedies and adjustments necessary.”

Principal Jan Wagstaff said: “We are obviously disappointed by Ofsted’s judgement.

“However, we are absolutely committed to improving and providing the best education for our pupils.

“We are all determined to turn the situation around as quickly as possible to ensure our pupils have the best chance of success in the future.

“With governors, staff and our parents working together I have every confidence that we will rapidly make the required changes.

“Children enjoy school here and we want to deliver the highest quality education to every one of our pupils so that they can achieve their best.”

Gary Gillespie, Chair of Governors, added: “We are determined to work hard to address the issues highlighted in the report and move the academy forward.

“We are confident that with the commitment of the staff and continued support of our parents, the school will quickly make the necessary improvements for our pupils to fulfil their potential in a happy, safe and secure environment.”