OFSTED inspectors have told Penketh High School they need to make improvements after becoming an academy.

The first inspection since the Heath Road school converted to an academy in April 2013 saw it score 'grade threes' across the board which equates to 'Requires improvement'.

Inspectors said the school was not 'good' because students’ progress and GCSE results in mathematics were too low in 2014, teaching is not consistently good across all subjects and leaders work to improve it has met with only partial success and students’ attendance and punctuality, including sixth form pupils, is too low.

The report added the school's strengths included work to support students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensuring students are 'well prepared for life in modern Britain', support for the well-being and academic development of those students with special educational needs and students’ reading skills have rapidly improved, especially in years 7 and 8, demonstrating their capacity to improve the school.

Inspectors added: "The headteacher has tried to significantly raise expectations of the levels students can achieve across the school.

"This has been more successful in some departments than others as some departments have had significant staffing absence.

"Achievement in English has been maintained in line with national averages over time, but results in mathematics dipped in 2014.

"Significant numbers of new and short-term staff in mathematics has meant that improvements that have been made in some classes and years are less secure in others.

"The local authority have been monitoring progress and have been challenging the school to improve teaching and learning in this department."

Ofsted rate schools on a scale of one to four with grade ones rated as outstanding and grade four classed as inadequate.

PENKETH High head teacher Ben Dunne has described the latest Ofsted report as a 'milestone' on the journey to becoming outstanding. 

He added: "Every single area for improvement highlighted in the report is an area we have already been working hard on since the start of the year and with some exciting new staff joining us in September 2015 we are looking forward to some key departments highlighted in the report showing continued improvement.

"What I can also say is that you will see from the report some tremendous positives highlighted by the inspection team which reflect the hard work that staff, pupils, governors and parents have put into the school.

"The Ofsted report for us as a school is quite simply a milestone on our journey to outstanding by 2017. 

"Our hard work and endeavour as a school will continue at the fast pace we have been used to since September 2013 and as we prepare for significantly improved results in the summer, everyone is excited about what the future holds at Penketh High School."