A PRIMARY school has been deemed inadequate by the education watchdog.

Maldon Primary School has been given the rating by Ofsted after inspections in February.

This is the first time the school, which has about 200 pupils, has been inspected since it joined the Kemnal Academies Trust in September 2017.

In its inspections, the watchdog found pupils have mixed feelings about the school.

They spoke enthusiastically about certain lessons and clubs, such as sign language club and English and maths, but they also tire of the “clownish” behaviour of some pupils in lessons.

While they want to learn, they say they are disrupted by the antics of their classmates.

Ofsted says “too often” pupils find the lessons boring and choose to misbehave.

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However, children in early years learn in a calm and productive environment.

Parents told inspectors how happy and settled their children are in reception.

Pupils say they feel safe and there is little bullying, but numerous pupils spoke of “name-calling, arguing and incidents of pupils being mean to one another”.

Just over half of the pupils who responded to the Ofsted pupil survey said they would recommend the school.

Ofsted told the school there are weaknesses in senior leadership, which is not sufficiently clear on what is working well and what is not, so issues are not “nipped in the bud” as they arise.

Trust leaders have identified concerns and say a rapid recovery programme is in place and “is having impact”.

Dianna Gunn, newly appointed executive headteacher at Maldon Primary School, said: “Ofsted’s report into Maldon Primary Schools was deeply disappointing and concerning to all of us.

“We have taken swift steps in response to its recommendations and, as a community, we continue to prioritise safeguarding.

“The safety and well-being of our pupils is of paramount importance to us, which is why we have audited our processes and boosted staff support in this area.

“We were pleased that the inspector recognised the school’s progress in delivering quality education, and understand that there is still room for growth.

“This will continue to be a priority for us going forward and we are investing in this area.”