Grahame Park Infants School has two years in which to raise standards or face closure.

Ofsted inspectors who visited the school in Lanacre Avenue, Colindale, in April said it lacked clear leadership and employed a high number of inexperienced teachers. They went on to suggest these were the main reasons for children performing below average in key subjects like mathematics and English.

Barnet's assistant director of education Lyndsey Stone responded to the report by saying a number of improvements are already in place, the most significant being the appointment of a new headteacher beginning in September. The school has been without a headteacher for almost a year.

While the school's nursery department escapes unscathed, the identified downfall is with children aged five to seven.

The report reads: "In too many classes pupils are given options to choose activities or to play when they have finished a task, so that the overall amount of time spent on National Curriculum requirements falls well short of recommended levels." It adds that teachers are uncertain about the appropriate levels of work which should be set for pupils. This, it said, leads to "weak progress".

Miss Stone pointed to the absence of a headteacher as the main reason for the shortcomings. She said the council would be working more closely with the head and the school's governing body to ensure improvement.

"We can now move forward and provide a better education for the children," she said.

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