A HYNDBURN school has been singled out for its teaching of reading after it was upgraded to 'good' by Ofsted following an inspection.

St Mary Magdalen's CE Primary School in Accrington was visited by the education watchdog at the start of last month.

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In a new report the Devonshire Street school improved on its rating of 'requires improvement' and was praised for its leadership, teaching, the pupils' outcomes, early years provision as well as the personal development, behaviour and welfare of the students.

It was given the lower grade when it was last inspected in 2013 but a shorter follow-up review in 2014 praised the school for its improvement.

In the report lead inspector Emma Jackson said: "Pupils achieve well overall. From starting points below those typically expected for their age, pupils make at least good progress.

"Teaching is mainly good throughout the school.

"This is leading to pupils making faster progress than previously and their attainment is rising.

"The teaching of reading is a particular strength of the school.

"Pupils’ positive attitudes and their good behaviour make a strong contribution to their learning.

"Pupils get along well together and are proud of their school.

"They have a particularly good understanding of British values and their place in the community.

"Senior leaders, including governors, are working effectively to sustain improvements.

"They are very clear about the direction the school must take to improve further.

"Parents agree that the school is improving well. They are highly positive about the dedicated support their children receive.

"Very effective support is given to vulnerable pupils."

However she added that the school could not be rated as 'outstanding' because the leaders and managers at all levels 'do not always use plans well enough' to improve the school and to 'accurately check' how well the school is doing.

The report said that the 'governors are not consistently aware of how much progress the school is making' and that the systems used in early years to assess how well children are progressing were 'not always robust enough'.

The inspector added that there were 'insufficient opportunities' for younger children to learn and play outdoors.

Headteacher Karen Hardman said: "This is excellent news for us, especially in light of the significant and challenging changes to assessment expectations and the Ofsted framework since our last full inspection.

"All our fabulous school team, children, staff, parents, governors, church, community and local authority, have worked so very hard to achieve this result.

"We will certainly continue working hard together to ensure our children get the start in their school life that they deserve."