Staff at an Oldham primary school have been told to raise their expectations of pupils in a new report by the education watchdog.

St Patrick’s RC Primary and Nursery School on Lee Street has been given a rating of "requires improvement" in a report published on Monday, July 3 by regulator Ofsted.

The school was previously rated "good" when last inspected in 2016 – though an interim report conducted in February 2020 said that there were concerns standards may be declining.

Ofsted inspectors Stuart Perkins and Ian Young based the report on visits to the school in May of this year.

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Issues with teaching were said to impede how well some pupils achieve, with teachers not always giving pupils the most appropriate activities, and failing to check that pupils know the curriculum with "sufficient rigour".

Inconsistent quality with the school’s phonics programme means that some students do not become confident and fluent readers, according to the report.

Subject leaders were also criticised for not ensuring teachers knew how to use assessment strategies consistently well.

Teachers were praised for having secure subject knowledge, however, with the inspection team saying teachers are "well equipped to design learning that meets the aims of the curriculum".

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The inspectors rated the school "good" in the areas of "behaviour and attitudes" and "personal development", but "requires improvement" in all other areas, including leadership and quality of education.

Inspectors said pupils at the 211-strong school are "happy and safe", and arrive "keen to learn new things".

However, teachers were told to increase their expectations of what pupils could achieve – especially in relation to students with special educational needs or disabilities.

Pupils were praised for their positive attitudes towards learning, and for showing respect towards school resources and equipment. Students were said to typically learn without interruption.

Leadership at the school was praised for thinking carefully about how to support pupils’ wider personal development, but governance and leadership was told it does not have a "sufficiently deep oversight" of how well the curriculum was being delivered by teachers.

The school’s safeguarding was said to be effective, with staff receiving appropriate training to spot potential signs of harm.