A WEYMOUTH primary school has been rated "requires improvement" by Ofsted, but inspectors have commended the school for positive improvements made.

At the previous inspection of Beechcroft St Paul’s CofE Primary School in 2020, it was rated as "requires improvement", but headteacher Cath Crossley was praised for her efforts to turn the school's fortunes around.

Inspectors have continued to praise the turnaround in 2024 and the personal development of pupils was hailed as good by Ofsted in their recent inspection.

Inspectors visited in February and noted the positive changes which have been made.

Beechcroft, led by headteacher Cath Crossley, has prioritised developing an “ambitious curriculum” to “promote high expectations” and these actions are beginning to make a difference, Ofsted acknowledged.

Dorset Echo: The school has been praised for improvements made The school has been praised for improvements made

Teaching staff were praised for taking time to “build positive relationships with pupils”.

There are 211 pupils, aged two to 11, at the school in Corporation Road, Westham, which is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust.

In 2020, inspectors said that a larger-than-average proportion of pupils were not attending school on a regular basis.

Now, support for families is starting to make a difference in attendance figures.

Ofsted observed the culture of reading, which is promoted across the school, and noted that a “range of opportunities are provided to enrich pupils’ experiences”.

The children’s wider development – learning about relationships, wellbeing and the wider world – is well supported, and they are “taught how to keep themselves safe, including online”, as well as physically and mentally healthy.

However it said while there are early signs of pupils progressing more successfully, some curriculum improvements are not yet fully embedded. This means pupils do not yet build their knowledge well enough, including when learning to read.

The report added that some children still do not develop their knowledge and language well across all areas. Consequently, children in early years are less well prepared for key stage 1.

It also says some pupils and parents are concerned about behaviour, including bullying, and some parents are not clear on the steps taken by the school to address concerns raised.

Mark Lacey, CEO of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, said: “We are pleased that Ofsted has recognised the impact of the changes which we are making at Beechcroft, especially in terms of pupils’ personal development which was judged to be ‘Good’.

"We recognise there remain things for us to do in embedding our work on the curriculum and strengthening relationships between school and home, but we plan to maintain the high tempo of improvement to give the very best outcomes for all of our pupils.”