All but two of the borough’s schools are outstanding or good according to independent inspectors.

Ofsted’s quarterly report said of the 49 schools inspected across the borough of Richmond, 21 were rated as outstanding and 26 were rated good.

From January last year Ofsted school inspections have taken place under a new framework, which now judges schools as “requires improvement” if they fall between the good and inadequate ratings.

According to the school inspectorate, Buckingham Primary School in Hampton was the only Richmond school to fall into this category.

Under the new framework, a school rated inadequate overall, where leadership and management are also inadequate, is a school requiring special measures.

Only one school, Nelson Primary School in Whitton, fell into this category following an inspection in March.

The inspection report said: “The school has declined since its previous inspection because leaders and governors have not made essential improvements.

“They do not make sharp enough checks on the quality of teaching in relation to the progress pupils make.

“When leaders plan school improvements, they do not identify the right priorities nor highlight the particular actions that need to be taken.”

The school, which caters for 439 pupils aged four to 11 and was previously judged as good, has put in place a plan for improvement and recruited a new Headteacher, Clare Pugh.

She said a support programme for teachers was in place to ensure lessons were good quality and the school was working with Waldegrave School for Girls to drive up educational standards.

She said: “Since the inspection, everyone working at the school has done a great deal to address and improve all of these aspects of Nelson School life and I am sure that it will very quickly be judged to be good.

“While I have only been here a very short while, I would like to acknowledge the hard working, loyal and committed staff.

“Over the next few months I look forward to working with the staff, parents and most importantly our children, to secure positive future outcomes for all at Nelson Primary School.”

Councillor Paul Hodgins, Richmond’s cabinet member for schools, said the new Ofsted criteria was much tougher and exposed all areas of weakness, which he welcomed. He said: “The school has responded in exactly the right way.

“They have taken a difficult message and I am confident that they are making the required improvements.

“One thing is clear - all the staff, parents and governors at Nelson School have the best interests of the pupils at the heart of everything they do.

“We will support the school to ensure that this remains the case.”