STAFF at an infant school are the victim of frequent assaults by pupils, a critical report has found.

An Ofsted probe into St George’s Infant and Nursery School also found not enough is done to stop the unacceptable behaviour of some pupils.

The school, in Barrington Road, Colchester, has now been downgraded by the education watchdogs to inadequate overall after the inspection.

The school’s last inspection in 2017 rated it as requiring improvement.

During a visit in January inspectors found most pupils behave well and there is little bullying.

However, it said: “A significant minority of pupils behave in highly inappropriate ways.

“This interrupts other pupils’ learning and has a negative effect on the well-being of staff and pupils.

“There are frequent assaults on staff by pupils. Pupils throw things in lessons. Some pupils fail to follow basic rules.”

The report found staff do not feel protected from violence from pupils. Inspectors also found too many pupils do not do well enough in school.

It added: “For some time, pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has been too low.

“The standards achieved by pupils currently in the school are still poor. This is because the curriculum is not planned or taught well enough.

“Pupils fall behind because some teachers have low expectations and no clear plans to set out what they should teach.

“The quality of education in the early years is better than in Key Stage 1 and has led to increased attainment for children at the end of reception.”

Carl Messer, interim executive headteacher, said: “The team at St George’s Infant School and Nursery are already working hard to ensure the lessons learned from the recent inspection by Ofsted are being swiftly acted upon.

“We know that, with continued support from the whole school community, we will again be able to provide a service that will meet the needs of every individual child to the highest standard.”