A primary school whose rating dipped has now been rated as 'good' by Ofsted.

In June 2013, St John’s Church of England, in Green Lane, Stanmore, was told it 'requires improvement' after previously being rated as 'outstanding'.

But the primary school has now been rated as 'good' and inspectors praised the strong leadership of the headteacher, governors and other senior figures at the school for “bringing about the improvements”.

In the report, lead inspector Avtar Sherri said: “The headteacher provides a strong and clear direction and vision for the school.

“Her ambition for pupils is shared by leaders, including governors and staff.

“Leaders and managers have worked effectively as a team to bring about improvements.

“As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement has improved since the previous inspection, and is now good.”

Inspectors also praised the behaviour of the pupils, describing them as “courteous, polite and friendly” and said “their good behaviour and attitudes contribute strongly to the good progress they make with their learning”.

While acknowledging the school’s turn-around, inspectors highlighted several issues which would boost the school's chances of being rated as 'outstanding'.

Sherri said: “Pupils are not always given time to extend their thinking and reasoning skills to deepen their understanding, particularly in mathematics.

“Sometimes the most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently, and do not always make the progress of which they are capable.

“Occasionally, some pupils make mistakes with their work in lessons and these are not always picked up quickly enough to move their learning on.”