A JUNIOR school has been told it must improve the quality of its education.

Hertford Junior School in Lynchet Close in Brighton was given a “requires improvement” rating overall by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in its latest report, published on Thursday.

The school, which is maintained by Brighton and Hove City Council, was previously rated good in the last inspection in January 2015, after having made improvements since it was rated inadequate in 2011.

The latest report says the school must improve the quality of its education, behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management. However, it was rated as good for personal development.

The Ofsted report said “some teachers do not have the skills or expertise to teach reading effectively” and “there has been little training for staff. Pupils do not become fluent readers quickly enough”.

It went on: “Teachers and curriculum leaders do not routinely check what pupils have remembered. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. This means that some pupils lose focus in lessons because they find learning too difficult.”

The report said parts of the curriculum, such as mathematics and history, are carefully structured but “others are not planned well enough yet”.

It states: “In history, pupils confidently recall what they have learned. For example, Year 6 pupils explained how they looked at evidence and artefacts to ‘work out what is true from what’s been left behind’.

“In other subjects curriculum planning is not detailed enough to ensure that knowledge and skills are taught in a logical order.”

Although the report states that behaviour at the school is improving, it adds that in some lessons pupils lose focus and find it difficult to sustain concentration because they find work too hard or too easy.

It said: “Training is helping staff to respond in a constructive way when pupils find managing their own behaviour difficult.”

The school was recognised as having effective safeguarding arrangements and pupils’ welfare is leaders’ “highest priority”.

Pupils also reported feeling happy and safe and said that bullying is rare.

The report adds: “Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities they are offered, including extracurricular trips and clubs.

“These include sporting activities and opportunities like eco club and harmonica and French lessons. Pupils are helped and encouraged to take part in clubs that interest them.”