A school which still requires improvement after two years of effort has been told that progress had “lacked urgency”.

Holy Trinity primary school was inspected by the schools watchdog recently.

The school, in Trinity Road, Gravesend, requires improvement in all areas, except personal development and behaviour, which is good.

It means the 150-year-old school is in exactly the same position as it was after the last Ofsted inspection in 2014.

At the time head teacher Karen O’Brien said the school was already working towards turning that around.

But inspector Julie Sackett said in her latest report: “Leaders’ evaluations of the school’s work are overgenerous. Improvements since the previous inspection have lacked urgency and, until recently, have been too slow.

“The quality of teaching and assessment across the school is mixed. As a result, pupils make uneven progress and do not achieve their full potential by the end of Year 6, particularly in reading outcomes.”

"Improvements since the previous inspection have lacked urgency and, until recently, have been too slow." - Julie Sackett

Speaking last week, deputy head teacher Marc Dockrell said: “School leaders are determined that improvements continue at a rapid rate to ensure good or better outcomes for all children at this happy and popular local school.

“Whilst the overall effectiveness of the school was judged as ‘requiring improvement’ the children, staff, governors and parents were pleased that Ofsted found many strengths and graded the personal development, behaviour and welfare of the children as ‘good’.

“Ofsted recognised many improvements such as the teaching of phonics, pupils’ outcomes in writing and better progress in maths.”

The inspector found teachers need to have greater expectations of their pupils, subject leaders need to have more of an impact on the quality of teaching and learning and governors need to hold leaders to account on pupils’ achievements.

However Ms Sackett did note that the pace of improvement has recently increased and there is more effective teaching compared to the previous inspection.

Children also established strong relationships with adults when they join nursery, so that they settle quickly and make rapid progress.

Pupils’ behaviour continued to be good, they are interested in learning and attendance is good.

Ofsted has four gradings – outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.