The head teacher and governing body of a primary school near Dereham have promised improvements after it was rated inadequate by Ofsted.

In the education watchdog's latest inspection report on Mattishall Primary School, the school was rated inadequate for overall effectiveness; effectiveness of leadership and management and personal development behaviour and welfare. The school was rated as 'requires improvement' for overall effectiveness at its last inspection.

This year's inspection also stated that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for pupils require improvement but gave the school a good rating for early years provision.

A joint statement from the school's head teacher Tony Chapman and governing board states: 'We recognise improvements are needed and everyone at school is working hard to achieve this.

'The report highlighted the need for us to tighten our existing safeguarding practice. We did this swiftly and introduced the updated procedures at the start of term. We had already booked a safeguarding audit before the inspection for early September. The report from this confirmed that our new procedures are appropriate and suggested improvements.

'The inspection highlighted the need to do more work with children and parents around understanding how the school deals with bullying. We have made this a priority. We are determined to build on the success of pupils in EYFS by providing good teaching and effective support to enable all pupils to make good progress.

'In particular, Pupil Premium funding will be spent effectively to ensure rapid progress for pupils with this additional entitlement; we will raise standards in phonics throughout the school; we will ensure that children's work in books is well presented and that expectations are high, raising outcomes across the school.'