A JUNIOR school in Salisbury that 'Required Improvement' has jumped to 'Good' in its latest Ofsted inspection.

St Mark's Church of England Junior School received the new rating on Tuesday, after needing to improve the quality of teaching and lessons following an inspection in 2017.

The latest assessment of the school, that was carried out across February 26 and 27, concluded that all areas, including curriculum, staff and students, were at a 'Good' standard.

Quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management were the four areas focussed on by the watchdog, and the report commended St Mark's for enabling children to "enjoy school and feel safe".

In the report inspectors highlighted strengths including the school's curriculum, for both pupils and those with educational needs or a disability, and the "strong" relationships built between teacher and student.

In part of the report it said: "The leaders, governors and staff are ambitious for all pupils. They have high expectations of what the pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to these expectations.

"The recent work to improve the curriculum for reading, writing and mathematics is well developed. As a result, pupils are achieving well in these subjects."

Headteacher at St Mark's, Gareth Flemington, said the report is "a pleasing official endorsement of the things we have been improving term-on-term for three years".

He added: “The vision statement of the school – ‘believing in better’ - encapsulates so much of our journey from the previous inspection to now."

To improve further, the school must ensure the curriculum for every subject is fully developed, and staff must address the "many pupils" who have gaps in their knowledge of phonics, so are lacking the skill to become fluent at reading.

Leaders have introduced a phonics programme to help tackle this critique.

Plans to improve the school and reach 'Outstanding' status have been halted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Mr Flemington said his priorities are planning the safe return of children to school possibly in June, and helping Year 6 pupils complete their primary education.

The headteacher added: "I am loathe to single out groups in despatches but the staff have been legends in my eyes. The professionalism, care and fantastic grace shown by them all throughout the process has been inspiring.

"The support and goodwill from parents has been pivotal in our recovery and we hope their trust in us is justified. Pride restored even if the job is not yet complete. We have more to work on and we believe in better- be they outcomes, opportunities or experiences.”

Chairman of the Local Governing Committee, Tim Milne said: "This grade reflects the significant effort and dedication given by all members of staff to provide a broad curriculum and strong outcomes for pupils.”