The leader of an academy, which has seen a turnover of four head teachers in twelve months, has claimed changes will be made to improve their Ofsted rating.

Chigwell Primary School in High Road, Chigwell, now known as Chigwell Primary Academy, launched as a Reach2 academy on September 1 after being branded ‘inadequate’ in an Ofsted inspection last month.

The latest report highlighted a decline in teaching and in standards since the last inspection in 2013 and pupils having poor attitudes to learning.

The report also stated that the school’s efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils was ‘inadequate’.

In April the primary school, which caters for children aged four to 11-years-old, saw acting head teacher Fiona McGrath become the latest interim to resign from the position since the departure of Karen Jacobs in April 2014.

Despite the negative report, Ofsted’s lead inspector Declan McCarthy published that guidance from new interim head teacher Elaine Brook was providing the school with “a strong direction for improvement”.

Ms Brook, who spoke out this week following the launch of the academy, described the last 12 months as ‘an undoubtedly challenging time’ but was positive that the school would be delivering changes to improve.

She said: “The new term marks a fresh start for all of us at Chigwell Primary Academy.

“It has undoubtedly been a challenging time but we are now turning the corner.

“Delivering the changes needed to secure excellent achievement is a given in each of the academies in the REAch2 family.

“But REAch2 is about so much more, offering a richness of experience that gives real colour throughout the time our children spend with us.

“We have a fantastic team in place and I am looking forward to working closely with our parents and the wider local community to ensure that our children get the excellent education they deserve.”