A PRIMARY school in Herefordshire is out of special measures after an Ofsted visit, but it still has more work to do before it is rated as good.

Ofsted inspectors have been back to Bredenbury Primary School, near Bromyard, after a damning report in October 2019.

The school inspectorate said key stage two pupils lacked confidence and concentration in lessons, curriculum planning was thin and there was not enough guidance for staff to follow.

But after making a full inspection in July, inspectors published their report and praised actions of the school's new leaders.

Inspectors said pupils and parents and carers felt that a lot has improved at Bredenbury, and students, now making better progress, wanted to go to school.

New executive headteacher Martin Farmer, who also leads Queen Elizabeth High School and St Peter's Primary School in Bromyard, was praised by Ofsted, as well as head of school Sam McAteer and governors.

"Secure, stable leadership has halted the decline of this school," the report, published in September, said.

"The executive headteacher and head of school work tirelessly to improve the quality of education.

"They are ambitious and want pupils to achieve well. Leaders and governors have a clear vision and detailed plans to further improve the school."

A focus had been the "rapid" improvement of reading, maths, science and physical education (PE), inspectors Nicola Harwood and Anne Potter said.

Leaders, who know there is still more work to be done, ensured staff regularly check what pupils know and can do, they said.

But many pupils had gaps in their knowledge and struggled to remember what they had previously learned.

Inspectors added that when staff prompted pupils and helped them remember prior learning, they made better progress, but that needed to be consistent across the school.

Teachers were praised for their consistent approach to teaching phonics, and pupils, who were said to be cared for, were said to be polite and well mannered – but sometimes lacked concentration.

Safeguarding was also said to be effective.

Inspectors removed the school, with 42 pupils, from special measures as it moved from an inadequate rating to requires improvement.

Mr Farmer said Ofsted saw good work and that children enjoyed school.

"But we also know that we still have things to do and will pursue an even stronger judgement next time," he said.

"We are on the right path and there is much to celebrate at our small school.

“It fills me with a deep sense of pride that along with help from many others we have managed to do this inside two years and during the worst crisis to hit our country and indeed the world in the last few decades.

"We are out of special measures, what great news for everyone involved.”

When a school is put into special measures it means it is subject to regular short-notice Ofsted inspections to monitor its improvement.