A SCHOOL which was heavily criticised by inspectors four years ago and told to take urgent action has made massive improvements, according to a new Ofsted report.

St Mary and St Joseph's Primary School in Blackburn was put on special measures after its inspection in March 1996.

The Bennington Street school is popular with parents from the local Asian community. Almost half of pupils are eligible for free school meals and 32 per cent of pupils have English as a second language.

The team of inspectors, led by Rod Spink, found that pupils make good progress and by the end of Key Stage two they attain standards close to the national average, and well above the average for schools with similar numbers of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Mr Spink said: "The quality of teaching has improved from a poor standard to a high standard. Teaching was judged to be good overall with a significant proportion of very good and outstanding teaching. "The improved standards are a direct result of improved teaching."

The inspectors praised the children's positive attitudes to the school, saying most worked hard and pupils of all backgrounds got on well together.

The headteacher's and governors' leadership was praised, with the inspectors finding that they have a clear view of the way the school should develop to continue the improvements already made.

But the inspectors said more procedures should be developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the work of the school, and teachers should set clear learning targets for pupils. Overall, they said the school provided good value for money.

Headteacher Elaine Grimshaw said: "I am very pleased with the report which is very positive and highlights the continuous improvements made over the last two years.

"The report is a tribute to the hard work of staff, pupils and governors, backed up by support from parents and our strong partnership with the local authority."