PARENTS of a school that was recently rated inadequate by Ofsted have rushed to its defence.

Parents of children who attend Cherry Orchard primary school have shared their thoughts on the school which will soon turn into an academy due to being placed into special measures.

Becki Churchill posted on our Facebook page: “Cherry is a wonderful school where our daughter has flourished. The staff are kind, caring and genuinely adore the children in their care. I will be proud to (hopefully!) send my son here in September. I hope all parents get behind a great school and help keep staff morale high. With extra support, it can tick all those lovely little boxes Ofsted put so much emphasis on!”

Hels Bells said: “I am absolutely gob smacked by this. I moved both my kids to Cherry Orchard and it was the best decision I made! The pastoral care was fantastic and my daughter who had been held back at her previous school flourished at Cherry. Really sad to see this, it must really lower the morale of the teachers.”

Fiona Webb said: “My son has come on leaps and bounds after moving from another school that totally failed him. I’m gutted for the staff but Ofsted reports are not the be all and end all. A caring nurturing environment gets my vote over pushing children to fit into boxes and a curriculum that is a one size fits all!” Cat Vale said: “ My son is extremely happy at this school, the staff care for the children beautifully and they communicate well with us parents.” The school previously said it was disappointed with the report.