A school that has been rated "requires improvement" twice in three years still has further to go in improving the quality of education it provides.

Bourne Primary School in Eastbourne was given the rating again following an Ofsted inspection in June.

Although the report describes the school as “good” in the areas of “early years provision”, “leadership and management”, “personal development” and “behaviour and attitudes”, it fell short in terms of the “quality of education” and was overall graded as requiring improvement.

The school, in Melbourne Road, was last given the second lowest rating following an inspection in 2021 where inspectors said the school required improvement in all areas bar one, the category of “personal development”, which Ofsted described as “good”.

Pushing on with the planned curriculum despite some pupils' "unreadiness" is identified as the school's biggest shortcoming.

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"Staff do not always use assessment information to adapt the curriculum to pupils’ needs", the report said.

"On occasion, they deliver the planned curriculum before pupils have grasped the prerequisite knowledge they need to complete this work."

Ofsted did recognise that the school has made significant improvements since the 2021 inspection.

"The school has demonstrably improved…because of leaders’ efforts," the report said.

The report celebrated the school’s work to support pupils whose first language is not English, as well as those with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). 

Inspectors also commended staff who “welcome all families with open arms, helping them to understand the school and its routines with patience and kindness".

In the 2021 report, inspectors noted that on occasion some pupils struggled to “regulate their emotions” and this sometimes prevented other pupils from learning. The latest report says that thanks to “significant work” from leaders and staff, the school is now “calm and orderly.”

The report highlighted the school’s work to encourage reading and improve literacy and said it has implemented a “new and ambitious curriculum.”

From the 2024-2025 academic year, Ofsted inspections will no longer give a single overall grade to an institution after an inquest into head teacher Ruth Perry's suicide, concluded a critical Ofsted inspection “contributed” to her death. Ofsted will continue to inspect schools against the same standards, but will now only issue gradings related to individual aspects of a school's performance.