THE new headteacher of a Dengie primary school damned by inspectors has promised youngsters will soon get the start in life they deserve.

An Ofsted report has revealed Southminster Primary School was “inadequate”, with teaching, pupil behaviour and outcomes all highlighted for particular criticism.

However the latest inspection criticised the school for not beginning to tackle issues raised in July 2015 until six months ago.

Pauline Ward, who took over as interim executive headteacher in May, said: “Our Ofsted report tells us that we must continue to learn from the past and address our development needs. We can and we will.

“I trained as a teacher to give children the best start in life and I am committed to giving the children of Southminster the opportunity to succeed. The improvements I am planning will make sure they do. I will see that Southminster Primary gets all the support it needs.”

Mrs Ward is also headteacher at St Cedd’s Primary School in Bradwell-on-Sea and has a track record in rapidly improving struggling schools.

She added: “The whole community is getting behind us as we rise to the challenges and I appreciate everyone’s support. I am listening to the parents and my colleagues. We are developing and delivering plans together.

“I am giving a pledge to report the school’s results publicly every three months so that the progress we are aiming for is clear for all to see.”

Children were found to not make enough progress in early years classes and in key stage one.

Teachers were found to not assess pupils’ progress accurately enough and lessons were “frequently disrupted” by low-level misbehaviour.

The report, published last week, said: “The quality of teaching has declined over time and this decline demonstrates clearly the weaknesses in leadership and management over time.

“[Teachers] say that pupils frequently talk over the teacher and distract each other, wasting valuable learning time. This was clearly evident during the inspection. Pupils also say that there is a lot of rough play in the playground and this sometimes makes them feel less safe.”

Inspectors praised Mrs Ward for taking action to address the school’s weaknesses and said there were early signs of improved teaching.

The report added: “The positive impact of the interim executive headteacher is clear. She has very quickly gained a clear view of the school’s weaknesses and has taken prompt and decisive action to tackle them. As a result, the school is now beginning to show the first ‘green shoots’ of improvement.”

The school is run by the Vine Schools Trust and is receiving support from Essex County Council and the Church of England’s diocesan schools adviser.