Significant improvements have been acknowledged at a local primary school but inspectors say it is not yet ready to come out of special measures.

Southminster Church of England Primary School was rated as 'inadequate' following a visit by Ofted inspectors last year.

Their report highlighted a number of failings across the whole management spectrum and downgraded the previous rating of 'requires improvement'.

That chastisement and publication of the need for special measures sparked a recovery plan, which is now beginning to bear fruit.

Inspectors returned in December and their monitoring report has now been released. The school is said to have made significant improvements but there is much more still to be done.

The report from inspector Nathan Lowe says: "Leaders are resolute in their determination to improve the school. They are taking the right actions in the right order and at the right time. They do not focus on 'quick fixes', but on establishing solid foundations to build on. This strategy is proving successful. The culture of the school is changing, with a shared understanding between all staff that pupils need to be 'safe, respectful and ready'.

"Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the category of concern to be removed."

Becky Fairhead, deputy director of learning at the Vine Schools Trust which runs the primary school, said in a statement: "We are thrilled to see that the 'Rapid Improvement Plan' put into place following the school's Ofsted inspection results last term have already started to have a positive impact on teaching and learning.

"Both the trust and the staff team are committed to doing everything possible to improve the school's provision for pupils and will continue to do so until Southminster is considered a good school".

According to the report, leaders were "resolute" in their determination to improve the school and were building strong foundations for improvement rather than focusing on "quick fixes."

The curriculum has been overhauled since the previous inspection, with reading prioritised and children with special educational needs and disabilities no longer "left to flounder". However, inspectors said many pupils still have substantial gaps in their knowledge, for example some cannot read fluently.

Emma Wigmore, CEO of the Vine Schools Trust, added: "As a trust, we are focusing on supporting Southminster C of E Primary School on their journey towards school improvement.

"We are pleased that our collaborative approach to driving this improvement is, in Ofsted's words, 'paying dividends,' and are proud of the continued efforts that leaders and teaching staff are making to create a better learning environment for pupils."

The interim report can be read in full via this link.