
A “friendly and welcoming” school has been rated inadequate after inspectors found weaknesses in the way it manages safeguarding procedures.
Witney Community Primary School in Oxfordshire was rated good in four areas but its leadership and management was given the lowest grade.
Inspectors found pupils behaved well together and met staff’s “high expectations”.
The trust that runs the school said issues were resolved “immediately”.
Ofsted said pupils embraced diversity and there was rarely any bullying at the school.
“Overall, pupils are doing well,” the report found.
‘Weak understanding’
Inspectors rated its quality of education and its early years provision, pupils’ behaviour and attitude and personal development as good.
They said leaders “worked with determination to strengthen the quality of education” and other staff were found to be “ambitious to broaden pupils’ horizons and raise their expectations”.
But it said leaders, governors and trustees were unaware until June’s inspection of “significant weaknesses” in the way safeguarding was managed.
The school’s leadership was found to have a “weak understanding” and inspectors found checks had not been carried out for volunteers at the school.
A spokesman for River Learning Trust said: “The matters raised by Ofsted were health and safety certification relating to the swimming pool on the school site, that some risk assessments were not adequate and a lack of clarity in the roles and responsibilities for safeguarding.
“In response to the inspectors’ findings we addressed and resolved issues immediately and we look forward to welcoming them back to demonstrate this.
“Ofsted commended the way in which the school supports vulnerable children and works effectively with other agencies.”
