“And The Dog Ate My Homework...”

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, in Boston Avenue, Southend, was told it requires improvement.

Under the old grading system at Ofsted, the school would have been rated as satisfactory, the same as previous inspections.

Ofsted’s report said the school’s achievement in writing was not as good as in reading and maths. It claimed teaching was not consistently good and key stage 2 achievement was not high enough.

Oh dear, the head has some 'splainin to do, yes?

Headteacher Frances Neil said her mother died just before the inspectors visited.

She said: “Having notification of an Ofsted inspection so shortly after her death and before her funeral could be held was very difficult personally and Ofsted refused to defer the inspection, which I requested.

“Although I am anxious this is not seen as an excuse, it did mean this was a difficult time for me, my colleagues and other staff who know me well. ”

And OFSTED say 'Oh, really? That won't wash! See me after school!':

However, Ofsted disputes her claims. A spokesman said: “Ofsted has a published process for schools to formally request inspection deferrals.

“While the inspection team for St Mary’s was made aware of and was sensitive to the headteacher’s personal circumstances, the headteacher did not request to defer.

“She was indeed happy for the inspection to go ahead.”

Better shove a book down the back of your knickers, Frances...