A HEREFORDSHIRE headteacher says her school is delighted after Ofsted said it was still graded as good.

Visiting Cradley CE Primary School, near Ledbury, for the first time in six years, Ofsted said the school was still good, but evidence suggested the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded inspection was carried out.

Overall, inspectors said that the school, in the village between Ledbury and Malvern, was a warm, friendly and welcoming place where pupils enjoyed going. They found it had a strong sense of community and pupils had a wide range of opportunities outside the classroom.

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Pupils at the school, which has effective safeguarding, were also said to behave well, with bullying rare and any cases dealt with quickly.

Inspectors Gareth Morgan and Anne Potter said teachers at the school, which inspectors said was inclusive and caring, know how well pupils are learning, and the teaching of maths was singled out for praise.

Under the leadership of headteacher Donna Jones, the school, with 130 pupils aged between two and 11, has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum, but there was still room for improvement in some subjects such as geography.

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Donna Jones said: "When the inspectors visited Cradley school in October they determined that the school remains graded at good.

"We were delighted with the wealth of positive aspects of our school they saw and heard about.

"They were particularly impressed with our wonderful children, who told inspectors how everyone is friendly to each other and that they feel part of a community.

"They also spoke about the extracurricular clubs, trips and experiences they have. Inspectors commented on the high level of support given to children’s well-being and to those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities."

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The school, which will next face a graded inspection, its first since 2011, was given three areas in which to improve.

They were the teaching of phonics, the fact that in some subjects leaders had not thought in enough detail about what pupils should be learning and remembering and leaders needed to evaluate recent changes.

"The inspectors recognised the journey that we are on," Ms Jones added.

"We have some areas to work on. We understand these areas, all of which are part of our school improvement plan.

"We look forward to a full inspection, which will be an opportunity to celebrate all the fantastic elements of our school and the progress we have made, particularly since the pandemic and this inspection."