Concerns have been raised that pupils at an Essex school are not ‘recieving a good education’ as Ofsted inspectors ruled it requires improvement.

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery, a combination of the former infant and junior schools in the town, was formed in 2018.

The infant school was previously rated Outstanding and the junior school rated Good, with the former commended for the "rapid and sustained progress" of pupils in its classes.

However, in a report published earlier this month, inspectors found students "do not receive a good education" and "not all pupils feel safe in school" and classified the school as requiring improvement..

In a letter to parents, executive headteacher Julia Hunt described the challenge of "gluing" the two schools and their different systems together, and commended staff for their achievements since the merger two years ago.

Mrs Hunt said: "Although we agree with the overall outcome, we are disappointed with some of the description in the report.

"We do not feel it adequately captures what we know and enjoy about our school."

She added: "Please be assured that we will strive to continue to work hard to ensure the best outcomes for your children.

"With your support we will strive to ensure that the recommended actions are addressed fully by the next inspection."

Inspectors did note that the pupils were pleasant and polite and said children get off to a good start in the school's nursery. They also said that some SEND pupils receive good one-to-one support from staff in lessons.

But the report also included a list of areas in which the school needed to improve.

Lead inspector John Mitcheson wrote: "Since opening as a new school, leaders' and governors' time has been absorbed in reorganising staffing and managing the school's finances.

"This has been done effectively and has stabilised the school. Less attention has been paid to checking that an ambitious, well-organised curriculum is in place or that it is taught well enough."

Mrs Hunt added: "Ofsted have identified that leaders are overcoming challenges and have had additional pressures as a result of financial issues, including restructuring and cutbacks.

"We acknowledge that these pressures have taken time away from leaders.

"These have now been resolved and we are able to plan forward with some certainty."