Troubled Shrewsbury primary school making reasonable progress

Pupils' attainment at Mereside Primary School in Springfield has improved and the school is on the right course towards coming out of special measures, said a monitoring report by education watchdog Ofsted.

But inspectors warned there were still some "significant inconsistencies" between the attainment of pupils in different classes. The report said there had been "reasonable progress" in the quality of teaching and school leaders were having an impact.

Inspectors noted that the positive effect of the school's actions, particularly a strong focus on improving pupils' literacy and mathematical skills, were "reflected in this year's assessments" which show "significant improvement".

The report said pupils' attainment was improving "steadily" and was in line with the national average in English and maths by the end of Year 6. The percentage of pupils reaching or exceeding level 4 in reading by the end of year 6 was 87 per cent in 2013, compared to 74 per cent in 2012.

A total of 77 per cent of pupils achieved level 4 or above in writing this year, compared to 69 per cent in 2012, and 77 per cent achieved this level in maths this year compared to 55 per cent in 2012.

The report adds: "The appointment of an acting deputy headteacher, seconded from an outstanding primary school, has had an immediate impact on improving teaching and the school's monitoring systems."

Headteacher Elizabeth Holmes said: "This marks a really positive end to the school year."

Councillor Ann Hartley, cabinet member for children's services, added: "We will continue to work closely with the school."