GRANGE Junior School, which merged with its sister infant school in September 2012, has been told it needs to improve after dropping a rank in its most recent inspection.

In September 2012, the school federated with the nearby Grange Infant School, and the headteacher and deputy headteacher of the infant school took on leadership of both schools, with a single governing body being formed to oversee both.

Before the inspection criteria from Ofsted changed last year, Grange Junior School was rated as a good learning provider, but has now been deemed as requiring improvements.

While inspectors concede exam results in Year 6 had surged in 2013, they said the school was still off the mark in certain areas, despite a new leadership team driving up attainment.

In the report, inspectors said: “In the years since the previous inspection, pupils’ achievement has not been good enough. “Even though pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 improved appreciably in 2013, their progress was still little better than in the two previous years.

“Where teaching is less than good, the pace of lessons is often not sufficient to engage pupils fully in the learning, and expectations for achievement, including that of more able pupils, are not always high enough.

“Inspection evidence indicates that as a result of the drive of the new school leadership, the quality of teaching is beginning to improve.

“Across the school, relationships between teachers, teaching assistants and pupils, and between pupils themselves, are good, which makes a significant contribution to the positive climate for learning.”

Behaviour and saftey of pupils was found to be good.

“Pupils show pride in their school,” the report said. “Their attitudes to learning are positive, and mostly support their progress well.

“They recognise the school’s positive ethos, and say that the great majority respect others and behave well, and that members of staff set clear expectations for conduct and promote positive relationships.”

Grange Junior School was unavailable for comment yesterday.