White British pupils struggling at St John's Wood-based primary school - 80% of St George Eliot Infants do not speak English as first language

Published: 16 April 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM

A ST John’s Wood school earmarked for closure is leaving white British pupils behind, according to a report by government inspectors, writes Jamie Welham.

Ofsted inspectors say there are “green shoots” of recovery at George Eliot Infants’ School and that it has made satisfactory progress since being placed in special measures in September last year.

But the monitoring report published this week warned that “the performance of white British pupils was particularly weak” and that attainment throughout the school was still ­worryingly low.

More than 80 per cent of the 200 pupils do not speak English as their first language.

The school, for pupils aged three to seven, is due to merge with its ­sister primary school, becoming part of a “super school” campus in Marlborough Hill along with Quintin Kynaston  and Beachcroft schools.

The inspectors noted that the school was making progress in driving up attendance records. 

The report said: “Pupils’ learning and progress has improved since the last inspection. Attainment remains low throughout the school. Pupils co-operate well with each other and with their teachers and other adults. 

“A target of achieving a 5 per cent increase in the attendance of more reluctant attendees by June 2010 is being pursued with dertermination. Overall, however, children do enjoy school.”

Nobody from the school was available to comment.