A primary has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted for the second time since 2013 – despite both the school and the borough’s schools agency ‘self-evaluating’ it as a ‘good school’ in 2015.

Nelson Primary School, in Nelson Road, Whitton, has also consistently scored below average Key Stage 2 results.

The report was published on January 5.

The chairwoman of the board of governors, Pamela Crisp, resigned on Tuesday, January 10.

The Ofsted inspection was carried out on October 19 and 20 and the school was rated ‘inadequate’ in all areas except the personal development, behaviour and welfare category, which was marked ‘requires improvement’.

Senior leaders were criticised for underestimating the importance of the school’s failings, while the governing body and academy trust accepted ‘much too readily’ the ‘consistently overgenerous’ reports purchased by the school from the Achieving for Children (AfC) agency.

Headteacher Clare Pugh agreed the school had ‘fallen short’ but said the school would do everything in its power to improve.

Philippa Nunn, the head of the Waldegrave Trust, which runs the school, said she was disappointed in Ofsted’s judgment, but agreed there is ‘room for improvement’.

Parents reacted to the report, with many focusing on Ms Pugh, AfC and the Waldegrave Trust, which runs the school.

Sohaila Baluch, the parent of a year 4 pupil, said: “There is no reason for us to have any faith in the Waldergrave Trust’s judgement or their intentions.

“The trust’s leadership team have evidently not given any support to this head teacher or challenged any decisions made by her - in particular the placement of inexperienced, part-time or substitute teaching staff.

“My son currently has four different teachers during the week and last year my son had a newly qualified teacher for half the year after his teacher left.”

Sadia Thantrey, who has children in Year 2 and 3, said the local authority and AfC had failed the school and, though she said Ms Pugh was ‘not perfect’ she is confident in her ability to improve the school.

A mother of a pupil in reception, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It is heartbreaking; you hear of children who have gone back to their teachers saying they have found their work quite easy, and asking if they can try harder stuff – and they’ve been told no.

“You can give them as much of a chance as you like, if the leadership is not good it is not going to change.”

But Caroline Cooley-Hiller said her son is "doing well and is very happy" at Nelson Primary, and said there was "no way" it is as bad as its made out to be.

The Ofsted report reads: “Trust members and governors set great store by this advice and the reports about the school’s development which have been produced over time through the local authority.

“These reports consistently overrate the school’s success. They refer to the weaknesses, but the importance of these is much understated.

“In minutes of meetings and reports, the trust, governors and local authority congratulate each other and the headteacher, emphasising improvement and change from the time of the predecessor school.

“This approach leads to a deeply shared, but undue, sense of security about the quality of the school’s current work among leaders, trustees and governors.”

Charis Penfold, AfC’s director for children’s services, wrote in a November 2015 report: “The governors and school leaders are now self-evaluating that Nelson is once again a good school.

“I am pleased to let you know that my team and I agree that evidence confirms this judgement.”

This week Ms Penfold maintained AfC ‘regularly reviews’ the school and believes it to have improved. She said AfC was ‘disappointed’ Ofsted did not recognise this.

Councillor Paul Hodgins, Richmond’s cabinet member for schools, said he was disappointed in Ofsted's finidings, but insisted he is confident ‘by working together’ improvements will be made.

The Ofsted report highlighted the children’s poor writing skills ‘right across the school’, and said there are ‘some gaps in mathematical knowledge’.

It also said music is not being taught at Nelson, because the school had no contingency plan for the recent absence of the music teacher.

Since the previous inspection – in March 2013 – the school attained academy status.