A SCHOOL which was placed in special measures following an inspection in February has been told it is now making good progress.

And in addition to the positive monitoring report, Cumnor Primary School, in Oxford Road, Cumnor, has announced the appointment of a new headteacher.

Ed Read, currently headteacher at the outstanding rated Kingham Primary School, in The Green, Kingham, is due to take up post in January.

Acting headteacher Pauline Roberts, a former member of the school’s senior leadership team who stepped up following the school being placed in Ofsted categories, said staff were “very happy” about the monitoring report judgement and the appointment of a new leader.

She said: “We are not complacent and we have still got some fine-tuning to do. I think the biggest change is that we are all working together as a team and supporting each other.

“Morale is high although I would never want to underestimate the difficulty of being a school in special measures and the pressure that puts on them.”

Inspector Daniel Towl said that initial data from Key Stage 2 test results showed pupils did well, with all youngsters reaching the expected Level 4 in English and maths, and a higher than average proportion reaching the higher Level 5.

He said: “The school’s own detailed checks on pupils’ progress show that it is improving. Pupils who need additional help receive well-managed support and make at least expected and often better than expected progress.”

Good and sometimes outstanding teaching was observed, and there was greater consistency across the school.

Teachers were providing a variety of tasks for pupils of all abilities, allowing the most able to move to more difficult work at an early stage in lessons, subsequently raising the expectations of the class as a whole.

Mrs Roberts, who will stay in school as a class teacher once Mr Read takes on the headship, said: “One of the biggest tasks was to renew the identity of the school and the sense of community and boost morale. I feel we are now a long way towards that.”

She added: “Mr Read has been working quite closely with us already, both in terms of the task group that helps support any school with special measures and he’s also been coming in with our senior leadership team.”