STAFF and children at an Accrington primary school ordered to improve following an Ofsted inspection are working ‘exceptionally hard’.

St Anne’s and St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, in Sandy Lane, was given a rating of ‘requires improvement’ by the education watchdog earlier this year.

It had previously been rated as good, with Ofsted inspector Geoffrey Yates saying students’ attainment by the time they left school was below average.

He was also critical of teaching.

However, in its most recent letter home, outgoing headteacher Felicity Watson, who stepped down at the end of April, told parents: “There are clear signs of continued progress and we have had positive feedback from external advisers and consultants about the impact of our action plan so far.

“Staff and children have worked exceptionally hard to continue to drive the required improvements .”