DIDCOT Girls School has been told to crack down on a small core of troublesome pupils after getting marked down in its latest inspection.

An Ofsted report highlighted “the disruptive behaviour” of some students less than two months after the headteacher, Paula Taylor-Moore, said some pupils had lost their personal dignity.

Last month’s inspection has graded Didcot Girls as satisfactory – a grade lower than its previous visit in 2006 where it was judged good with outstanding features.

Mrs Taylor-Moore said the school would be cracking down on the pupils, saying she believed there were about 25 who were causing trouble.

The report said that while most pupils behaved well, a small number of parents who wrote to inspectors expressed serious concerns about students’ behaviour and school discipline.

Meena Wood, who inspected the school in Sherwood Road, said: “The school has underestimated the impact of the disruptive behaviour of these students.”

But Mrs Taylor-Moore said inspectors relied on correspondence from parents who had received information second-hand from pupils – and had not seen any hard evidence that behaviour in the school was poor.

She said: “There is a problem with about 25 pupils who continue to chat during lesson, do not do what they are told to by teachers and arrive late for lessons – anything to get out of doing some work – and we are dealing with them. We have implemented a zero tolerance non-school uniform policy. Students wearing the wrong uniform will be sent home.

“We are tightening up the rules and are introducing a praise programme for those students who work really hard who don’t get the recognition they deserve.”

The report found the school, which has 1,296 pupils and 195 sixth formers, had worked hard to put in place a good curriculum that was more focused on students’ needs and abilities.

It said the sixth form, established in partnership with St Birinus School, in Mereland Road, was good.

But it said the school needed to: Tackle its behaviour problem Accelerate progress in maths so students reach higher standards Develop the leadership and management skills of subject leaders.

Mrs Taylor-Moore said: “We recognise the concerns raised and will spend the coming months addressing these issues thoroughly.”

didcot@oxfordmail.co.uk