AN EAST Cowes Primary School has had its Ofsted rating downgraded from 'good' to 'requires improvement.'

Inspectors who visited Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in July found leaders had not done enough to improve the school since its last inspection.

According to the Ofsted report, published last Wednesday, not all pupils had achieved as well as they should and their progress had not been checked robustly enough.

The assessment practices in reception class were not strong enough.

Inspectors were told by pupils, parents and staff about a decline in behaviour at the school. They found there was too much low-level misbehaviour in class.

The quality of teaching was found to be variable across year groups and subjects, with gaps in learning either not identified, or not addressed with enough rigour.

One parent told inspectors it was 'hit and miss' as to whether their children were doing as well as they should.

Holy Cross headteacher Timothy Eccles said governors and staff were clear about the actions required moving forward.

"Naturally, we are disappointed Holy Cross has been graded as a school requiring improvement following its recent inspection," he said.

"The inspection process was very thorough and rigorous, and we are pleased the inspection team recognised the excellent improvements in our KS2 results this year, as well as identifying that Holy Cross is a happy, friendly and caring community which offers a rich resource to help pupils enjoy their learning and staff are proud to work here.

"We are working with the support of the Local Authority and Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth to ensure that swift improvements are made."

The school has 197 pupils, aged five to 11.