THE headteacher of an infant school said he was 'disappointed' after receiving an Ofsted report that deemed the school inadequate.

The inspectors visited Millom Infant School, on Lapstone Road, in June. Inadequate is the lowest ranking an Ofsted inspector can give a school. It previously had a good rating. 

Scott Imison, the acting headteacher of the school, said: "Obviously we are disappointed with the report's findings. As staff, we will be working closely with the local authority to enable us to provide the best education possible for our children."

The report said: "Pupils are happy and relaxed at Millom Infant School. They enjoy coming to school. Pupils feel safe. If bullying happens, leaders take appropriate action. 

"All staff want the best for pupils. However, this aim is not realised. Leaders' efforts to improve the curriculum have been too slow. Pupils do not achieve well. This includes children in the early years, who are not well prepared for their next steps. 

"Leaders, including governors, have not spotted, or addressed, the shortcomings in the school." 

The report said that while pupils behave well, some staff are not consistent in what they expect from behaviour. 

"They do not support pupils to behave as well as they should. This means that, at times, some pupils lose interest and distract one another in lessons," the report states. 

The inspectors said many of the curriculums for subjects other than phonics and mathematics are poorly designed, including for early years. It said that subject leaders 'lack the expertise or knowledge to improve these curriculums.' 

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It continued: "Leaders are unclear about the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn and the order in which this should be taught. Consequently, teachers do not understand how to shape their teaching so that pupils build their knowledge well over time. Pupils receive a jumbled learning learning experience. Many pupils remember little of what they have been taught."

The report blamed this on teachers not using assessment strategies effectively to check what pupils know and can do. The report also criticised how many pupils are persistently absent from school. 

It gave a list of bullet points for the school and the local authority to review suggesting how learning can be improved. It recognised that the recent shift in school governors meant that they had not held leaders accountable.