A BRIDGWATER School has been told it 'Requires Improvement' in its latest OFSTED report, but inspectors say it is moving in the right direction.

St John and St John Francis Church School in Westonzoyland Road was inspected on September 13 and 14 of this year, and inspectors said 'despite several gains since the last inspection, a legacy of weaker teaching in several classes has not been resolved'.

"This means that too few disadvantaged pupils, and pupils who have special educational needs to make sufficient progress," the report states.

The school has issued a letter to parents in which headteacher Lisa Farley writes: "The report has come at a good time for the school and has confirmed that the school is moving in the right direction in the improvements it has made.

"In all of the inspectors’ comments there was nothing we did not know about and were not already addressing in our plans. Unfortunately the report has to reflect where we are now not where we are planning to be."

The inspectors highlighted that assessment of children was not consistent and as a result, 'many pupils have gaps in their skills and knowledge and too few pupils are working at the standards expected for their age'.

Ofsted also highlighted that the school website does not contain all the information required by the government and this limits what parents can find out about the impact of leaders' actions.

The school did receive Good ratings for its 'Personal development, behaviour and welfare', as well in the 'Early Years Provision' category.

The report found that school leaders had taken decisive action to improve teaching which was seeing better outcomes in Year 1 phonics and Year 6 maths.

Inspectors also wrote: "Parents are extremely positive about the care and support their children receive. Pupils behave well, they respect the school’s ethos and are proud to be part of the school."

Headteacher Mrs Farley added: "There is a real commitment from myself, the Senior Leadership team, all staff, Governors and Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust to use the recommendations of this report to further build

on the achievements already made over the last eighteen months."

The school made national headlines in March of this year when they brightened spirits by singing during the Westminster Bridge terror attack while Parliament was in lockdown.

The 53 children who were on a day trip visiting the Houses of Parliament did Bridgwater proud and were commended for their bravery in a difficult situation.