A CRITICAL report says Poole’s Carter Community School “Requires Improvement”.

Government inspectors slated GCSE results, pupil progress, attendance levels and the quality of teaching provided at the Blandford Close, Hamworthy, secondary school.

A team from Ofsted visited for two days in January and observed 24 lessons, held meetings with students, examined work and viewed school documents.

Inspectors said: “The most recent GCSE examination results were well below the national average. Students did not make the expected progress in several subjects, including mathematics.

“School leaders have not done enough to check that different groups of students are making good progress. This includes those students who need the most help and the most able students.”

The report also highlighted some positive aspects of the school and said acting principal Sam Davidson understands what needs to be done to improve and that changes are under way.

Inspectors added: “Students behave well in lessons and around the school. The assessment of students’ work has improved rapidly and is now accurate.

“The school’s work to improve literacy is strong.”

The school is a mixed academy catering for 377 pupils between the ages of 11 and 16.

Just 29 per cent of students gained the national benchmark GCSE results of at least five A*-C grades, including English and maths.

Its last full Ofsted report took place in 2012 when it was rated as a ‘Good’ school under former head Rob Davies.

Sam Davidson said: “This is an encouraging report as it shows the inspectors’ confidence in the changes we have put in place since the summer.

“Everyone here is committed to driving improvement across the school and there is a genuine partnership between staff, students, parents and governors to do so.

“Whilst we do not under-estimate the hard work ahead, it is gratifying that the inspectors saw for themselves what we have put in place this academic year is working. “We all know what this school is capable of achieving for its students and this report shows that we are heading in the right direction.”