TWO failing Greenstead schools have merged in a bid to boost their performance.

St Andrew’s Junior and Nursery and Infant schools closed at the end of the summer term and have reopened as Unity Primary School.

The merged school is no longer under the control of Essex County Council and has been taken over by the Reach2 Academy Trust, which already runs four primary schools in the county.

The junior school, in Hickory Avenue, was placed in special measures by Ofsted, in May 2013.

But in a progress report, published just before the official merge, in September, the education watchdog warned not enough progress was being made to increase the school’s standards.

Michelle Winter, who inspected the school in June, said: “Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time the school is not making enough progress towards the removal of special measures.”

She also ruled out the school appointing newly qualified teachers before the next inspection, believed to be scheduled for before the end of the year.

The junior school’s plight followed that of the infant school, also in Hickory Avenue, which was placed in special measures early in 2012.

In its last progress report, inspectors said it was making inadequate progress towards getting out of special measures.

They also warned the school’s overall progress was not good enough. 

A spokesman for Reach2 Academy Trust pledged to make improvements to the school.

He added: “We will continue [to give] teachers the opportunity to benefit from the trust’s training and development programme in new academic year.”

Reach2 is the largest primary-only academy trust in country and has a track record of turning around failing schools.

As of July, pupils at schools run by the trust achieved an 11 per cent increase in Level Four Key Stage Two results compared to national increase of between 2 and 3 per cent.