Children returned to a Braintree school a day late so teachers could receive urgent training ahead of an anticipated bombshell Ofsted report.

Pupils attending Tabor Academy in Panfield Lane were initially meant to start school on Monday following the Christmas break.

But executive principal Matthew Slater wrote to parents at the end of last term, scheduling a sudden teacher training day.

It follows a two-day inspection in November by four inspectors from the schools watchdog Ofsted, who told the school that various changes are required.

Although the results of the Ofsted inspection have not yet been published, Mr Slater was told of the report’s outcome and warned parents that “a number of key areas” needed to be addressed.

He wrote: “We are anticipating a number of key areas that will require our attention and we have been working extremely hard since the inspection to prepare for the changes that will be required."

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.