A PRESTON primary school, branded as 'failing' by Ofsted inspectors two years ago, has been given a new lease of life.

Following a second inspection of St Mathew's, in New Hall Lane, in July, the government's standards in education body agreed it no longer required 'special measures'.

The initial inspection was critical of many aspects of the school and judged it as failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education, but the recent scrutiny found standards had risen significantly.

The headteacher, governors and county's education authority won praise for their efforts in turning the school around.

Associate headteacher Lesley Frearson said: "I am extremely pleased that the school has successfully come out of special measures. This is a tribute to all the hard work of the staff and governors and also to the great support we have received from Lancashire Education Authority.

"I am confident that the school will continue to go from strength to strength in the coming months."

Inspectors considered overall progress to be high, with the quality of teaching reasonable in almost all lessons, and pupils' behaviour improved with children wanting to contribute to class discussions.

They identified five key issues as areas where further improvement is needed and said pupils remain below national expectations in core subjects with their standard of spoken English too low.

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