A MONMOUTHSHIRE school was given the second lowest rating in its latest Estyn report.

Raglan VC Primary dropped from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Adequate’ in its latest Estyn inspection which took place in October, which is the second lowest rating a school can receive – above ‘unsatisfactory’.

Having previously been inspected more than six years ago in June 2010, the school received a top ‘Excellent’ grade in the majority key areas.

Since then the school has gone through some key changes, notably a publicly funded £4.5 million move into a new site in 2015 as part of the Welsh Government’s 21st century schools programme.

The latest report noted rates of attendance putting the school in the lower 50 per cent of all schools and mathematics was criticised for ‘not challenging more able pupils sufficiently’ and ‘too few lessons providing opportunities to develop numeracy skills’.

The report also stated that 'teachers’ written comments in books are not always effective in helping pupils to improve their work’.

However, the school’s prospects for improvements was rated as ‘Adequate’ because ‘pupils benefit from the school’s involvement with a broad range of partners’ and the head teacher, staff and governing body ‘share a clear vision that values all members of the school community.’

It was concluded that staff share a clear vision that values all school members and that it is adapting well to the characteristics of its plaza-style learning environment.

Speaking of the school’s latest report, the chair of Governors Mike Fowler said: “The governors were pleased that Estyn acknowledges the good quality of teaching, learning experiences and the learning environment and were particularly pleased that it was noted that ‘nearly all pupils behave well and show strong levels of respect and care for others’.

“The attitude of the pupils was also noted with inspectors recognizing that ‘nearly all pupils show a positive attitude to learning and participate enthusiastically in activities’.

“Governors will work in partnership with the staff and the interim head teacher to address the recommendations from the inspection.

“The governors will meet in January to discuss the report and the action plan and keep parents updated on progress. We will also work closely with our partners at the local authority and the diocese.”

A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council added: “We are fully supportive of the school and its leadership and believe that there is the capacity and capability for the school to positively respond to the areas for development identified in the report.

“The county council and its school improvement partner, the Education Achievement Service (EAS) have worked closely with the school as it moved into its new building and will continue to offer support as it responds to the inspection report.”