A SECONDARY school has been criticised for not showing adequate improvements by Ofsted inspectors.

During a recent visit to The Clere, in Burghclere, the education watchdog found that school staff were not carrying out the correct checks of students’ progress, meaning they weren’t getting the right support.

After the inspection, held from February 28 to March 1, Ofsted rated the school as “requires improvement”.

Whilst the inspectors visited the school, which has 440 students on its roll, they found that teachers’ planning does not reliably take account of what pupils already know, understand and can do and, as a consequence, pupils do not make good progress.

The report said: “Teachers’ expectations in some subject areas are too low. As a result, pupils are not stretched or challenged sufficiently, particularly the most able.

“Leaders have struggled historically to recruit strong subject specialists in English, mathematics and science.

“This has led to some temporary appointments, undermining consistency in teaching. However, the new headteacher is taking effective action to attract suitable candidates throughout the school year.”

New headteacher at The Clere, Benjamin Bond, has only been in his post since the start of January, and said he is looking to focus on the positives from the report and use them as a launch pad to push the school forward.

“The quality of learning and how we assess pupils is central to all our work and underpins everything else,” said Mr Bond.

“There is a great deal in the report to celebrate and it provides a clear direction for school improvement.

“I intend to build upon this to make sure The Clere School provides the best possible all round education for pupils.”