A PRIMARY school's improvement efforts have been praised again following two judgements of "requires improvement".

Balfour Primary School received a second monitoring visit on June 15 after two full inspections in 2017 and 2020 found it needed to do better.

Ofsted inspector Alice Roberts visited the Brighton school with her colleague Shaun Jarvis last month and has now published the formal report.

Ms Roberts said: "Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action in order for the school to become a good school."

She said headteacher Simon Davies and the leadership team had shown they were continuing to improve the school and have developed a clear vision of the education they want pupils to receive.

Teachers' efforts to adapt the classes so that every pupil, especially those with SEND (special educational needs and/or disabilities), is being supported in their learning were also commended.

The reading curriculum has been strengthened to "promote a love of reading" through carefully selected books and stories from a range of genres, said Ms Roberts.

The report recommends the school should develop its approach to the teaching of phonics to ensure all pupils make progress to meet or exceed age-related expectations.

School governors have confidence in Mr Davies and his team and praised the creation of a culture of high expectations for every pupil, including those with SEND.

After the first monitoring inspection was completed in March, the inspector praised the head for the school's approach to remote learning during lockdown.

In a letter to parents sent before the report was published, Mr Davies said: "We are not complacent and we recognise there will always be areas to improve further, but we can be confident that we are moving very quickly in the right direction."

Although the majority of the feedback was positive, Balfour's Ofsted rating cannot be officially changed until the next full inspection.