A DISAPPOINTED headteacher today vowed to make improvements after a critical Ofsted report found his school “requires improvement”.

The pace of lessons and pupils’ progress in English and mathematics were among the criticisms levelled at Trimley St Martin Primary School during the inspection in November.

Inspectors graded the school as 3 (requires improvement) which means the site will be inspected again within two years, and could be placed into special measures if it does not improve.

But the school’s headteacher, Peter Lamb, said he was confident that would not happen.

He said: “We are disappointed but we have already put in place plans to address the issues raised by Ofsted and at this very moment, we are working on it.”

Mr Lamb did not go into detail on the work being carried out to improve the school, but added: “I feel very confident that they [the inspectors] will come back and it will be much improved.”

Ofsted inspection reports grade schools between 1 (outstanding) and 4 (inadequate).

A rating of 3 used to mean the school was rated as satisfactory, but this was scrapped in January as part of plans to tackle schools which were seen as ‘coasting’. Trimley St Martin Primary School has been graded as 3 in its last three Ofsted reports.

Mr Lamb, headteacher at the school for 11 years, said: “It is still within the same category which is very disappointing for us, but given the fact that other schools are moving in a different direction, from good to satisfactory, we are still moving in the right direction, we feel.

“This has probably given us further direction.”

Pupils’ achievement, quality of teaching and leadership and management were all rated as requiring improvement in the report, but behaviour and the safety of pupils was good.

Inspectors also praised pupils’ opportunities to use their imagination, helping them to become confident and articulate, teachers’ insistence on good presentation, and progress by pupils with disabilities and special education needs.

Mr Lamb added: “We take comfort from the fact there are many strengths at the school and Ofsted has recognised those.”