A school in Letchworth, where pupils "are enthusiastic learners", has been told it requires improvement by Ofsted.

Northfields Infants and Nursery School has been rated as 'requires improvement' overall by the education watchdog, following its latest inspection - a drop from its previous rating of good.

In terms of behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision, the school has been rated as good, but the quality of education, and leadership and management require improvement.

In its report, Ofsted said: "Pupils at Northfields welcome visitors with smiles and are keen to tell you about their school. They are enthusiastic learners, answering and asking questions often.

"Pupils and staff have friendly and respectful relationships," and "pupils live up to teachers’ expectations of them in terms of behaviour".

Ofsted found that "pupils behave well" and that "the school has a compassionate approach to helping pupils manage their feelings".

It noted that the school has developed its curriculum since the previous inspection, adding that "some subjects have been well structured, while others are still in the early stages of development".

The report continues: "In well-structured subjects, teachers show secure subject knowledge. However, a number of other subjects require further development.

"The school does not rigorously check how well pupils learn the planned curriculum," and "teachers do not always address misconceptions".

Ofsted also found that "teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are not high enough".

Currently, in some subjects across Key Stage 1, pupils do not achieve as well as they could, it said, adding that "there are inconsistencies in the teaching in some subjects across Key Stage 1, including writing".

In some subjects, pupils with SEND do not have access to appropriate adaptations, Ofsted noted. "This means they must wait for support, and they lose time when they could be developing and consolidating their knowledge," it said.

The education watchdog concluded that "the school has not acted swiftly enough to ensure that all the recommendations made at the last inspection have been implemented".

Headteacher Rob Dell said: "I am deeply committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement in our recent Ofsted inspection and I have the full support of the governing body.

"While we are proud of the positive feedback on our pupils' behaviour, personal development, and early years provision, we recognise the need to enhance the quality of education and leadership.

"We have already begun implementing a comprehensive three-year strategy to ensure swift and effective improvements.

"With the unwavering support of our dedicated staff, governors and the community, I am confident that we will provide an exceptional learning environment where every pupil can thrive."