A VILLAGE primary school near Hereford has been told it could lose its good rating from Ofsted if it doesn't make improvements.

After visiting Wellington Primary School and Nursery, north of Hereford, Ofsted inspectors said they found "many good things", including how the environment was "calm, safe and friendly".

They also praised staff for treating pupils kindly, and how children were polite, got on with each other and feel part of a community.

Inspectors Diane Pye and Janet Lewis said the school has been through many changes over the past few years and current leaders were putting new routines and expectations in place.

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But the pair said that some aspects of learning were not organised as well as they could be, and in reading and mathematics, lessons and resources do not help pupils to learn as well as they might.

In other subject areas, leaders at the school, with pupils aged between two and 11, were making changes to help pupils remember the right things, the pair found.

The school, with effective safeguarding, was praised for the broad curriculum on offer, and how it ensured that English and mathematics were taught regularly.

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In all classes, pupils’ positive attitudes to learning help lessons to run smoothly, inspectors said.

Classrooms at the school, with 63 pupils, were smart and tidy, and pupils and staff were said to be proud of their school. Inspectors said there were lots of rewards that recognise pupils’ helpful contributions to school life.

But after the visit, which wasn't a full inspection, executive headteachers Helen Lynch and Helen Rees were told in Ofsted's letter there were three main areas for improvement.

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The school’s current approach to teaching phonics uses a mix of resources which did not always match the sounds that pupils need to learn and practise. This has lead to gaps in some pupils’ phonic knowledge, and those students falling behind in reading.

The curriculum in mathematics was not supported by consistently good-quality resources or books for pupils to work from, inspectors said. This means that, while teachers often explain things well, the activities given to pupils was not always a "meaningful practice".

In some foundation subjects, inspectors found that curriculum guidance did not identify what pupils need to know and remember. Consequently, some content choices were made by individual staff and do not support well-sequenced learning.

The school has been approached for comment, with Ofsted saying its next visit, which would be a full inspection, might see the school downgraded from good.