A Bury St Edmunds primary school has been told it needs further improvement following an Ofsted inspection. 

St Edmundsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, which is part of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, was visited by the schools watchdog on March 27 and 28 when inspectors deemed it 'requires improvement'. 

This is an improvement on the previous rating of 'inadequate' that was handed to the Grove Road school in July 2023, but the inspection raised concerns around the quality of education and pupil behaviour. 

Inspectors found staff did not always apply the behaviour policy consistently and some pupils did not behave as expected, an issue they said needed to be addressed. 

The report raised concerns that reading at key stage 2 is not yet as precise as that for younger children and the school was told to review their approach to "ensure all children develop their reading skills more quickly and effectively". 

Inspectors also raised issue with "the inconsistency in the planning and delivery of the curriculum" which has left some pupils with "significant gaps in their knowledge and understanding".

They said the school must ensure that the new curriculum is robustly implemented to enable pupils to achieve more highly.

The school was praised for its provision of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, which was described as "typically effective" and the report stated needs were identified quickly and accurately, with appropriate staff training. 

Inspectors found arrangements to ensure that pupils are safe from harm are now robust and the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum at the school was well planned, including information about how pupils should stay safe online and keep healthy.

The report read: "Leaders have brought about significant change after a period of turbulence. They have done so with energy and precision.

"Governors provide appropriate challenge to ensure the school continues to improve.

"However, the school acknowledges there is more work to do to ensure pupils receive a good quality of education.

"They have clear plans in place to achieve this. Leaders ensure staff are supported in their work, reducing their workload where this is possible." 

Jane Sheat, diocesan director of education, said: “I am pleased with the progress already made at St Edmundsbury.  

"As Ofsted noted, leaders have brought about significant change with energy and precision and have clear plans in place to ensure that the school continues to improve.

"The school is due to become an academy next term and is already benefiting from support from the Elveden Schools Trust."