A PRIMARY school has been rated 'Requires Improvement' in its latest Ofsted inspection.

St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School on Kings Way in Lyme Regius has not improved from its 'Requires Improvement' rating since its last full inspection in 2018.

Ofsted gives schools an overall rating of either outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Overall the school was given a 'Requires Improvement' rating, however did receive a 'Good' rating in two out of five areas, 'behaviour and attitudes' and 'personal development', which are assessed.

In describing what it is like to attend the school, the report said: "Pupils enjoy coming to this warm, welcoming school. Leaders ensure that the vision and values of the school are part of everyday life for all.

"Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. There is a calm, orderly atmosphere. However, in some lessons, pupils are too passive as there is not enough challenge for them. This is because leaders have not set out the curriculum in enough detail.

"Relationships are positive in the school. Pupils and staff share a mutual respect. Pupils say that ‘there isn’t anyone you wouldn’t trust’ when talking about sharing a worry or a concern."

In terms of what the school does well, the report said: "Leaders have not secured the effective implementation of the reading curriculum. Plans for this important aspect of learning are not ambitious enough.

"The curriculum needs to be broken down into smaller steps so that teachers can help pupils to secure this knowledge and understanding.

"The implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent across classes and subjects. This means that pupils are not learning as well as leaders intend."

Headteacher, Nick Kiddle, said: "We are thrilled and delighted that our children and the voice of our children was heard and shone throughout our recent two-day Ofsted Inspection: ‘There isn’t anyone you wouldn’t trust,’ and ‘We respect people for who they are’.

"Plans are already underway to continue to develop our curriculum so that it is broken down into smaller steps supporting children in securing their understanding and then building on this. This includes more specific detail in plans for children who may have additional needs. We continue to revise the curriculum to ensure that pupils can build on previous skills and knowledge more effectively as they make their journey through the school.

"We recognise there is still work to be done and we are continuing to build on these fast paced changes to ensure they are even more focused and ambitious as we start our new school year, enabling children to achieve all that they are capable of."