A SECONDARY school has been told it must improve after an education watchdog found "some teachers do not teach subjects well." 

Thurstable School Sports College and Sixth Form Centre, in Tiptree, has been rated as requires improvement.

It was previously rated as a good school.

Ofsted inspectors found the quality of education at the school required improvement. 

All other areas were found to be good. 

There are a total of 1,194 pupils on the school roll, with 160 of these being in the sixth form.

In the report, the inspector said: “Knowledgeable teachers plan learning that links with what they have taught before.

“However, some pupils, including some with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), struggle with the work.

“This is because some teachers do not teach subjects well, and some do not ensure that what pupils are taught is adapted well enough for them.”

Behaviour is said to have improved at the school and although most pupils attend school well, “there remains a small minority who do not attend as regularly as they should.”

Some pupils were said to have gaps in their knowledge due to some teachers having “not fully grasped how to teach the curriculum in their subjects well.”

In order for the school to improve the inspector said: “Leaders need to ensure that all pupils are taught consistently well.

“Leaders need to ensure that they review the plans in place for pupils with SEND to ensure that the strategies they want teachers to apply are precise enough to enable all staff to meet the needs of all pupils with SEND effectively.

“Leaders need to build on their successful groundwork to ensure that all pupils attend school well.”

Thurstable School has been contacted for comment.