RECRUITMENT struggles at a school near Abingdon have hindered younger pupils' progress, Ofsted has said.

The regulator has released its report following a short inspection at Sunningwell CE Primary School, noting some areas of concern.

It said the school's previous rating of 'good' still applies, however, and was positive about other aspects of the school.

Ofsted's letter to the head stated: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, last year there were many staff changes and some recruitment challenges.

"These circumstances hampered your work to improve pupils’ outcomes in Key Stage 1."

But the inspector stressed staffing is now 'stable' and progress in other years had been much better, and there were detailed plans for improvement.

She wrote: "The school continues to be a happy, purposeful environment and relationships are positive.

"You have built a hard-working staff team whose members work together effectively to provide many rich and interesting experiences for pupils.

"Staff care deeply about pupils at the school and share strong commitment to ensuring that pupils’ well-being and safety are given top priority."

Teacher recruitment is a key issue faced by schools across the country, but has become particularly troublesome in Oxfordshire due to high living costs.

Last year an Oxford teacher and union representative told the Oxford Mail recruitment in the county was at an 'all-time low'.

Several other schools have noted struggles caused by recruitment, including in Blackbird Leys.

The trust in charge of the estate's three mainstream primary schools, writing in its annual report this year, cited teacher recruitment and retention as a 'significant challenge'.