A HEADTEACHER has praised the efforts of staff, pupils, parents and governors in helping a Worcester school come out of special measures.

Di Smith, interim executive head at Warndon Primary School, said its success in its latest Ofsted inspection was down to the hard work of the entire team.

Government inspectors placed the school in special measures in September 2011 when they found standards had fallen and pupils’ results were well below average.

However, it was no longer deemed inadequate following an inspection carried out in January and now is considered to “require improvement”, with the behaviour and safety of pupils rated good overall.

Mrs Smith said: “We’re delighted with the Ofsted report, which matched our own self evaluation we no longer require special measures. The children, staff, governors and parents have worked very hard and will continue to do so to ensure the best possible outcome for the children.

“The governing body is also working hard to secure the future direction of the school.”

The school was said to have made “rapid improvements” in pupils’ attainment and progress, particularly in reading and writing in key stage one and in the upper half of key stage two.

The report added Mrs Smith and senior leaders have a “clear vision”, which is shared by staff, pupils and parents, and the governing body’s recent appointments had brought “considerable improvements”.

Inspectors praised pupils’ behaviour, describing them as enthusiastic and eager to learn.

The school still needs to make improvements in pupils’ achievement, particularly in maths and too few pupils reach the higher levels in English and maths because they are not sufficiently challenged.

Inspectors said teaching is “too inconsistent”, particularly in the early years foundation stage and the lower part of Key Stage 2, as is the marking of pupils’ work.

Councillor Jane Potter, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for education, said the authority had been working with the school to help it out of special measures and described the result as “excellent” news.

She said the county council acknowledged there are “more improvements to be made” and confirmed the governing body are “continuing to investigate” the possibility of the school becoming a sponsored academy, although it will no longer be forced to take on the status.

But Alan Amos, county councillor for Gorse Hill and Warndon, said he believed governors had already voted to pursue the move, which he described as “unnecessary”.

He said: “With help from the county council, this school has made such dramatic progress in the past two terms that it has now come out of special measures.

“This means that the school can no longer be forced into becoming an academy so this decision is as perverse as it is unnecessary.

“When I attended the public meeting at the school last summer, nobody spoke in favour of an academy.”

Neither the school nor council would comment further on academy status.