A PARENT has raised concerns about the education of children at a school which has experienced a high turnover of staff.

The mother of a pupil at Featherstone Wood Primary School in Stevenage contacted the Comet following the prolonged absences of headteacher Carol Pratt and deputy headteacher Sittel Shah, and claimed around 40 staff had left in the last three years.

An Ofsted inspection in December last year said that senior staff at the school had been “rigorous in tackling ineffective teaching” but it had meant that “nearly all the class teachers” had joined since the education watchdog’s previous visit in May 2010.

The overall effectiveness at the school in Featherston Road was said by Ofsted to be “inadequate” and that there were “serious weaknesses”.

The parent, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Comet: “There has been such a high turnover of staff and parents have not really been provided with much information about what’s going on. We need to know as this is only going to affect students’ education.”

Paul Driver, acting headteacher at the school, said: “I’ve been acting headteacher since Easter and I’m enjoying working with the great pupils, teachers, parents and governors at Featherstone Wood. My door is always open and if parents have anything they would like to discuss, they are welcome to speak to me.”

A spokesman for local education authority Hertfordshire County Council said: “Unfortunately the headteacher and deputy head from Featherstone Wood Primary School are both absent at the current time. An experienced leadership team is in place to ensure the smooth running of the school in their absence.”