A VILLAGE school has been put into special measures after a disastrous inspection report.

Box Highlands Primary School has been given the lowest grade - inadequate - on six out of seven categories, including the overall effectiveness of the school.

The report said: "It is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school."

The teaching and leadership of the school was criticised as was the level of achievement in the classroom.

It is the latest in a series of blows for the school which has had a succession of acting headteachers since headteacher Mike Plummer and deputy Sharon Purcell were suspended in April.

Current headteacher Valerie Henstock had been holding the reins at the school, which has 118 pupils aged from four to 11, for just two weeks when the Ofsted inspection took place on September 19 and 20.

Worried parents came along to a crisis meeting held with governors at the school on Thursday.

One concerned parent said: "The headmaster and deputy were suspended back in the spring, which is still ongoing and we don't know what for.

"Meanwhile the school spirals downwards, with a lack of leadership in evidence."

The school has recently had a £300,000 extension built as part of a £2.5m county council initiative to improve local schools.

The school will now have to come up with an action plan to tackle the problems and will get extra support to pull itself out of special measures.

A statement from headteacher Valerie Henstock said: "Priorities for the school's work had already been identified and were being worked on before the inspection. However, when the inspection took place, it was too early to judge their impact.

"The school has a very detailed improvement plan which addresses all the issues raised in the Ofsted report.

"The children in the school were praised for their behaviour - both in the classroom and in the playground - and for the way the oldest boys and girls looked after the youngest children. They can be very proud of themselves."

She added: "The school has been given three key areas to improve; leadership and management at all levels, the quality of teaching and learning and the quality of curriculum planning.

"The school and governing body had already identified these priorities for school improvement and had begun to address them.

"It will continue to do this and is confident that it will make the necessary progress in the months ahead."

For a copy of the full report visit www.ofsted.gov.uk