Knockhall Primary School in Greenhithe at risk of closure after being hit with termination warning notice from Department of Education

A head teacher has vowed to improve an underperforming primary school at risk of closing.

The Department for Education (DfE) has issued The Woodland Academy Trust, which runs Knockhall Primary School, in Greenhithe, near Dartford, with a “termination warning notice”.

It means the school in Eynsford Road could lose its government funding and either close down, or be absorbed by another multi-academy trust.

The Woodland Academy Trust was sent the warning on February 20, however, the notice was only published on the government website last week.

It stated the DfE was not confident the group could “deliver rapid and sustained improvements” at the school putting its funding at risk.

It follows two Ofsted inspections in September 2019 and June 2023 where the primary academy was rated as “requires improvement”.

The letter stated several issues in both reports, including the teaching of reading, curriculum planning, and provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which questioned “the trust’s capacity to drive improvement”.

During last year’s visit, inspectors said the curriculum “does not have a sufficiently detailed sequence” meaning teachers do not set tasks to help pupils build “cumulatively sufficient knowledge”.

They also said teachers do not check if youngsters have understood the work and are not providing enough opportunities for them to explore difficult concepts, therefore not developing their thinking.

The education watchdog also stated pupils are not closing the gaps in their reading, and attendance of those with additional needs is “too low” and “too many are persistently absent”.

The letter said for those reasons the DfE stated the trust needed to create a school improvement plan and provide half-term updates on its progress. The first was due on Friday (May 17).

Speaking to KentOnline, a spokesperson for The Woodland Academy Trust said work is already underway to address the concerns raised with a new head teacher.

They added: “We take the concerns raised in the termination warning notice very seriously and since the inspection in June 2023 have made some great strides towards addressing them.

“Our new head teacher is working hard with the team to ensure the well-being and educational success of our children is continuously improving and we are all dedicated to making Knockhall Primary School a place that our community is proud of.”

Knockhall Primary School has been part of The Woodland Trust since January 2017. The Trust runs four other schools, all in the London area.