A MONMOUTHSHIRE primary school has experienced a drop in its school rating with the publication of the latest Estyn report.

Raglan VC Primary School dropped from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Adequate’ with the publication of the report which took place in November.

The school, which caters for 210 pupils between four and 11 years old, has gone through a number of changes since the previous report more than six years ago, particularly a £4.5 million move into a new site in 2015.

The Estyn report looks at not only the school’s current performance, but the prospects for improvement.

Coming to the ‘Adequate’ conclusion for current performance, the report states that “nearly all” pupils make suitable progress in school, the curriculum provides a range of learning activities and that the school provides high levels of care, support and guidance.

But the report also highlights concerns about attendance issues, a lack of lessons to “provide pupils with purposeful opportunities to develop their skills in numeracy” and that some learning tasks in mathematics and science failed to challenge more able pupils.

The report also states that some written comments from teachers are “not always effective” in helping pupils.

Discussing prospects for improvement, the report found that while the head teacher, staff and governing body share a clear vision, and the school is adapting well to the characteristics of its plaza-style learning environment, the governing body does not always challenge the school effectively enough.

Raglan VC Primary School chair of governors Mike Fowler said: “The governors were pleased that Estyn acknowledges the good quality of teaching, learning experiences and the learning environment and were particularly pleased that it was noted that ‘nearly all pupils behave well and show strong levels of respect and care for others’. The attitude of the pupils was also noted with inspectors recognising that ‘nearly all pupils show a positive attitude to learning and participate enthusiastically in activities’.

“Governors will work in partnership with the staff and the interim head teacher to address the recommendations from the inspection. The governors will meet in January to discuss the report and the action plan and keep parents updated on progress. We will also work closely with our partners at the local authority and the diocese.”

A spokesperson for Monmouthshire County Council said: “We are fully supportive of the school and its leadership and believe that there is the capacity and capability for the school to positively respond to the areas for development identified in the report. The county council and its school improvement partner, the Education Achievement Service (EAS) have worked closely with the school as it moved into its new building and will continue to offer support as it responds to the inspection report. The report identified many positive features at the school and this is testament to the work of the staff and the wider school community including parents, governors and the diocese.”