A school where inspectors found most pupils "do not make the progress of which they are capable" and relationships with parents are "strained" and "fractured" has been put into the highest level of monitoring by education watchdog Estyn.

Inspectors said a "period of turbulence" at Creunant Primary in Crynant, Neath Port Talbot, has negatively affected relationships between staff and governors and "strained" relationships with parents. Estyn has put the school unto special measures.

Governors have " limited knowledge and capacity" to hold the village primary to account and the school's leaders failed to identify "weak areas of teaching", a newly published inspector's report says. The 121-pupil school also has a large underspend with leaders and governors not prioritising funding well enough. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

"The school has recently experienced a period of unrest, resulting in fractured professional relationships between leaders, staff and governors," inspectors said. And they went on to say that:: "In addition, relationships with a minority of parents are strained, and they feel that leaders do not communicate or consider their feedback well enough."

The hard hitting report adds: "The school has recently experienced a period of unrest, resulting in fractured professional relationships between leaders, staff and governors. In addition, relationships with a minority of parents are strained, and they feel that leaders do not communicate or consider their feedback well enough."

After a visit in January this year inspectors found that even though most pupils start at the school with literacy and numeracy skills at, or above, those expected for their age, they don't build on this: " During their time in school, most pupils including those with additional learning needs (ALN) do not make the progress of which they are capable," inspectors found.

"There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. Expectations are not high enough and staff do not plan for pupils to develop their literacy, numeracy and digital skills progressively," the report adds.

And self-evaluation, a key feature of Wales' new school inspection regime, failed to highlight weaknesses in teaching and learning, which an Estyn team observed. Creunant Primary's leaders failed to identify weak areas of teaching and the school has made "limited progress" on recommendations from its previous inspection report.

Inspectors found that only "in a few cases where teaching is effective" do lessons move along at an appropriate pace. Outdoor areas of the school are undeveloped, and there are few opportunities for pupils to develop their physical skills.

Shortcomings were highlighted in important areas including literacy, numeracy and digital teaching: On numeracy inspectors found that "in many classes", teachers do not always match mathematical activities to the ability of pupils and "teachers do not have a shared understanding of the literacy, numeracy and digital skills that pupils should develop."

On a more positive note most staff were found to promote good behaviour and develop positive working relationships with pupils. As a result, most pupils are happy, polite and well-behaved, the Estyn report noted.

"All staff show care and consideration for pupils, and this helps them to know who to go to if they have a concern or problem. Pupils feel safe in school, and they attend regularly. Leaders communicate a school vision for pupils to become respectful citizens of their community and the wider world," inspectors said.

A total 17% of children at Creunant are eligible for free school meals, compared to a 22.9% national average for primary schools in Wales and 4% are identified as having additional learning needs, well under the national average of 11%, and 4% have English as an additional language, Estyn's report shows.

Putting the school into special measures Estyn made a number of recommendations on what it must do to improve:

• Improve leadership at all levels
• Improve the quality of self-evaluation and improvement activities so that leaders identify, prioritise and address successfully the areas of the school’s work that are in most need of improvement
• Improve the quality and consistency of teaching and ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of pupil
• Ensure that pupils develop their literacy, numeracy and digital skills progressively over time

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