A FAILING school is improving but needs more help from the local authority to pull itself out of special measures.

That was the conclusion of Ofsted following the latest visit to Newbridge Short Stay School.

As previously reported in your Worcester News, the education watchdog placed the Midland Road school into special measures in April last year after it was deemed to be inadequate.

The first monitoring report, completed last October, said the school, which caters for pupils with behavioural issues who have been mostly excluded from other schools, was making “reasonable progress” towards coming out of special measures.

Inspector David Muir said despite it being early days, data was already showing that many students had made “significantly improved progress” in the first half term of the current school year.

He said this was the result of the improved teaching, a better curriculum and higher expectations. He added behaviour and attendance had also improved significantly since September.

However, in a second inspection conducted in February, he deemed the school not to be making enough progress towards the removal of special measures.

Mr Muir said a high proportion of students were making or exceeding the progress expected of them and the quality of teaching has continued to improve since the previous inspection.

But there was a “feeling of uncertainty and demoralisation” around the future of the school among staff.

He said it was imperative to the continued improvement of the school, and to ensure it has the capacity to move out of special measures, that Worcestershire County Council devises and implements a “rapid and sustainable plan” which “effectively meets the needs of the students in Newbridge”.

John Edwards, the council’s head of learning and achievement, said the authority would continue to work with the school to secure its long-term future.

He said: “We are pleased that the recent monitoring visit from HMI has recognised improvements in Newbridge which are having a significant impact upon the quality of students’ education.

“We have taken on board the feedback from the report and continue to work with the school, the Department for Education and local schools to secure the long term future of Newbridge as quickly as possible.”