A school is celebrating after delivering a strong improvement on its Ofsted grade.

St Joseph’s RC Primary in Stacksteads, which has 124 pupils on its roll, has been awarded a Good overall rating by inspectors, including an Outstanding mark for its Early Years Provision. The watchdog, which told the Huttock End Lane school it required improvement at its previous visit dating back to June 2018, also gave St Joseph’s Good in all four other inspection categories after the inspection on April 5-6. Ofsted published its result on May 27.

Ofsted recognised that pupils are “happy” coming to school and relationships between staff and pupils “are positive and supportive”, and found that safeguarding arrangements are “effective”.

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The report added: “Over time, leaders have carefully developed the curriculums for key stages 1 and 2. In most subjects, these curriculums are well established. Teachers use assessment systems well to check that pupils have achieved well.

"That said, in a small number of subjects, leaders have made recent changes to the curriculums because they recognised that pupils were not achieving as well as they could.”

Headteacher Lynn Elder said: “We are all delighted Ofsted have recognised the hard work and dedication of an amazing staff and school. We have amazing families and we love coming to school every day! St Joseph’s is a family and we all look after and care for each other.”