A SCHOOL in Weymouth has been rated as 'requires improvement' by Ofsted – but its headteacher was praised for her efforts to turn the school's fortunes around.

Inspectors visited Beechcroft St Paul's Primary School in Westham on January 15 and 16.

Among the issues raised by inspectors, were that teachers expectations were not always high enough, pupils switch off too often in lessons and "a larger-than-average proportion of pupils do not attend school on a regular basis. This has been the case for several years and is not improving despite the efforts of school staff."

Although the Ofsted report was disappointing for the school, inspectors were sympathetic to the erratic time that the school had faced: "Pupils, and most parents who shared their experience of the school, acknowledge the significant improvements since the new headteacher started in September 2019.

"The environment is calm and orderly. There is a clear vision and the school values are at the heart of the improvements. However, it is early days and many of the changes are only just being rolled out. It is too early to see the impact.

"The last few years have been a difficult period for the school. Several different headteachers and many changes in teaching staff have resulted in a period of instability. The quality of education declined. There were some improvements in the previous academic year. However, since September 2019, the rate of improvement has accelerated."

Responding to the report, headteacher Cath Crossley said: "The Ofsted team were balanced in their approach and acknowledged that things have been difficult in the past. Equally, they were positive about the changes we have put into place, whilst understanding that these changes will take time to fully benefit our children."

Mark Lacey, Chief Executive of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, said: "There have been many changes at the school over the past four years, including during the last two years since the school joined the trust.

"There remains much to do but we are confident that Mrs Crossley and her leadership team, along with the governors and trustees, are well placed to bring about further improvement so that the school can be judged a good school in the not too distant future."

Inspectors rated the school's early years provision as ‘good’. The report states that: "Children quickly develop in what they know and can do and how they behave."

Chairman of Governors, Julia Moore, said: "This demonstrates that our children get a fantastic start to their time in school. This is a really good place from which we can build."