AN inspection has shown major improvements at a village primary school after it was given the lowest rating by education watchdogs.

Southminster C of E Primary School was given an inadequate rating following an Ofsted inspection during October of last year.

Following a routine termly inspection at the school, its most recent Ofsted report confirms the school is already making major improvements in several key areas.

In the report, inspectors note the determination of leaders to improve the school, praising their decision to “take the right actions in the right order at the right time” rather than relying on “quick fixes”.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Formerly identified as an area of inadequacy, the school’s safeguarding provision has undergone major changes since its previous inspection, with inspectors noting how their main safeguarding concerns have been “swiftly addressed and significantly improved”.

School leaders are well-trained in reporting any new or existing concerns about pupil welfare and are quick to follow up on these concerns with phone calls and home visits.

Deputy director of learning at the Vine Schools Trust Becky Fairhead said: “We are thrilled to see that the ‘rapid improvement plan’ put into place following the school’s Ofsted inspection results last term have already started to have a positive impact on teaching and learning.

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“Both the trust and the staff team are committed to doing everything possible to improve the school’s provision for pupils and will continue to do so until Southminster is considered a good school.”

As part of Ofsted’s standard protocol, the school will continue to receive monitoring visits from inspectors to ensure that further improvements are being made.

Vine Schools Trust CEO Emma Wigmore said: “As a trust, we are focusing on supporting Southminster C of E Primary School on their journey towards school improvement.

“We are pleased that our collaborative approach to driving this improvement is, in Ofsted’s words, 'paying dividends', and are proud of the continued efforts that leaders and teaching staff are making to create a better learning environment for pupils.”