Bad student behaviour, poor performance in core subjects and weak leadership are some of the areas a new multi-academy trust plans to address at Twickenham Academy following a damning Ofsted report.

Twickenham Academy was inspected by Ofsted on April 21 and 22 and the report, released on Friday, May 27, revealed a number of areas that required improvement.

The trust that has run the academy since 2010, the Learning Schools Trust, will step away from the school in September and new executive management led by the headteachers of Teddington and Waldegrave Schools will implement a plan aimed at driving up standards.

The Ofsted report, which gave an overall effectiveness rating of “inadequate”, stated: “Progress made by all groups of pupils has been consistently low over the past two years in most subjects.”

It added that too much teaching is of an inadequate standard and pupils are often not clear what they are expected to understand by the end of a lesson.

The report was also critical of the “low expectations” of most teachers, and said: “They do not plan teaching to provide enough support, or extra challenge, for pupils who need it.”

Strengths in humanities subjects, dance and drama were identified, however.

The potential of the multi-academy trust, which will also include Hampton Academy, was recognised in the report.

It noted: “Senior leaders, and an increasing number of other staff, are now beginning to have a more realistic understanding of their school.”

Paul Hodgins, Richmond Council’s cabinet member for schools, said that although the report had highlighted serious weaknesses, he was confident the new partnership would yield more positive outcomes in the next school year.

Cllr Hodgins said: “There are the ingredients to make Twickenham a truly outstanding school.

“There are some excellent staff and with the leadership we have now secured from two of the borough’s most successful secondaries, I am confident that this gives Twickenham a very bright future.”

Teddington school headteacher, John Wilkinson, said: “We will work with the school and the community to quickly build the confidence and determination needed so that all of the staff and students at Twickenham Academy are able to succeed and achieve strong outcomes.”