A SCHOOL has been slammed by inspectors for failing to provide a "good quality of education" for its pupils.

Prestwich Arts College has been rated "inadequate" by the government's education watchdog Ofsted, which found pupils there "have not benefited from a good quality of education for far too long".

According to inspectors, leaders and governors had not acted quickly enough to bring about improvement at the school since it was last inspected.

The school, in Heys Road, was last visited in 2016 when it was told it "required improvement".

During the most recent inspection, which took place in May, Ofsted found that some teachers "do not apply school policies effectively" and that "expectations of pupils’ behaviour are too low".

Pupils told inspectors that there were often fights, both in and out of school.

It was also noted that the curriculum did not meet the needs of pupils, and that progress of disadvantaged pupils was "weak".

The school was also criticised for having become overly dependent on temporary teachers, who were not supported effectively and struggled to manage pupil behaviour.

Meanwhile, inspectors also found the proportion of pupils who are excluded from the school is much higher than the national average, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Ofsted also criticised leaders for failing to ensure that all staff share their vision for improving the school.

But, they added that since the arrival of headteacher Rachel Evans in September 2017, "clear lines of accountability for school improvement" had been put in place.

The school was told that in order to get better it must work on improving the quality of teaching, as well as pupil behaviour and the impact of leadership and management.

A spokesman for the school said that steps towards improvement were already being taken with new policies and practices having been put in place to improve pupils’ behaviour, as well as the quality of teaching and learning.

They added: "While governors and leaders are of course very disappointed by this report from Ofsted, we are grateful to the inspectors for the insights and challenges, which will support us in our improvement journey.

"We have already taken swift action, in order to secure the required improvements in the school.

"Along with Bury Council, we have responded promptly in commissioning support, which will enable us to bring about the improvements required in the areas identified within the report."

Headteacher Rachel Evans added: “Although this Ofsted judgement is disappointing, it gives us the opportunity to explore and secure the support from high performing educational providers, who will help us on our accelerated journey to greatness and will ensure Prestwich Arts College is recognised for best practice in the future”.