AN ACADEMY sponsored by Nelson and Colne College has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

Pupils at Colne Primet, which converted into an academy in January 2013, underachieve across a range of subjects, including maths, history and geography, inspectors found.

MORE TOP STORIES:

They also gave the quality of teaching at the Dent Street high school the lowest possible rating and said that behaviour required improvement after pupils were found to be smoking on the site.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said “drastic action” needed to be taken.

However, inspectors also highlighted that since the new headteacher Lynne Blomley was appointed a year ago, improvements have begun to be made.

Lead inspector James McGrath said in a report: “Over time, students have underachieved across a range of subjects, including mathematics.

“The quality of teaching, over time, is inadequate because it has not enabled students to make the progress they should.”

Mr McGrath also pointed out the failings of subject leaders, who have not always held accountable enough for checking the work of their staff.

He added: “Teachers’ expectations are not high enough. Too many students do not make effort to improve their work and this is accepted and not tackled appropriately to help students do better.

“Poor skills in writing are not being tackled across all year groups in the academy and this is impeding students’ progress, particularly boys, across the different subjects.”

The inspectors said that Mrs Blomley had a “clear understanding” of the academy’s strengths and how to tackle its weaknesses.

Mr McGrath said: “The appropriate changes made by the new leadership are having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning. This is clear evidence of the academy’s capacity for sustained improvement.”

Since Mrs Blomley’s appointment, there have been ‘significant’ staff and leadership changes, with ‘effective systems’ now in place to check and improve the quality of teaching.

Mrs Blomley said she understood that a lot more improvements had to be made to the school, but that she was optimistic for the future.

She said: “It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do, but I am pleased that Ofsted have acknowledged that the changes we have already made are leading to sustainable improvements at the school, which is already having a positive impact on the students.

“As a passionate teacher myself, I am committed to driving improved teaching and learning forward and to ensure that student achievement sees a significant increase by the end of this academic year, in line with national measures.

“We are focused and committed to this ambition and are confident it will lead to fulfilling and successful futures for our students.”

Anita Ghidotti, chief executive of the Pendle Education Trust, said the inspection was reassuring as it showed the school was ‘moving in the right direction’.

She said: “We are pleased that this recent inspection has demonstrated the inspectorate’s views that Colne Primet Academy is improving.”and shows significant capacity for continued improvement.

“We recognise that we’re on a journey and we have a clear ambition for the academy which we are confident we can achieve. The recent inspection findings reassure us that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Mr Stephenson, said he was now seeing positives in the school, despite its ‘challenges’.

He said: “Over the last few years, Colne Primet Academy has had significant challenges. It has high running costs and is vastly oversubscribed.

“There has been a real lack of leadership, but with the new headteacher, I think this school is now turning a corner.

“I think this school is going to really start to improve quickly and I hope Ofsted will show that in future reports.

“But at the moment, it is a school with challenges, where drastic action needs to be taken in order to shake things up.”