A primary and nursery school in Oldham has been told it still 'requires improvement', despite making significant progress since losing its 'good' grade five years ago.

Blackshaw Lane Primary and Nursery School which sits in the Heyside area of Royton looks after children aged three to 11.

Ofsted inspectors said the school required improvement in the years 2018 and 2021, citing issues with the quality of education, leadership and management of the school and the early years provision.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

However, the education watchdog did deem the school to be 'good' in at least two areas, regarding the personal development of the children and their behaviour and attitudes.

Still, because the overall grade of the school fell from 'good' in 2018, Ofsted has been monitoring progress at the school and an inspector visited the premises again just last month.

Inspector Tim Vaughan said while leaders have 'made progress' to improve the school, "more work is necessary for the school to become good".

In his letter addressed to the headteacher, Mr Vaughan said the school needs to identify essential knowledge, such as vocabulary, that children need to be taught in early years and found subject leaders need to better understand the curriculum being taught.

He also recognised that the school has changed hands recently, having switched from a nursery class to a governor-run provision.

In addition, two teachers, including the deputy headteacher, left the school recently and the senior leadership team has been reorganised as a result with two newly appointed assistant headteachers and a school business manager.

But Mr Vaughan's report suggests the school has overcome these challenges as it continues to make significant progress.

One area that was highlighted as a positive includes the way in which pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) continue to be supported in their learning.

He further found teachers have adequately identified and addressed any gaps in students' learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

When it came to the curriculum, the inspector said teachers have started to increase their confidence in leading their subjects and are developing greater knowledge.

Certain subjects, such as history, are more developed while the whole curriculum is currently being refined in time for September this year.

For early years pupils, the letter revealed staff have improved how they use the learning environment as they utilise more resources and stage outdoor activities to enhance children's learning.

Reading and phonics were also a highlight in the report as the inspector found the school has a "more deliberate focus" on developing older pupils' motivation to read independently. 

He praised leaders for investing in a "richer range" of suitable books for each year group.

"Your staff are beginning to promote the love of reading with pupils more successfully than they did previously", he added.

Meanwhile, staff morale is "high" at the nursery as team members told Mr Vaughan that they feel adequately supported.

However, Mr Vaughan said the vocabulary of the children in nursery and reception class needs to improve.

"In addition, some subject leaders do not have enough understanding of early years so they can help to further develop the curriculum for these children", he added.

To boost the school's Ofsted grade higher, the school only needs to address two areas ahead of the next graded inspection.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.