A CHEPSTOW primary school has been praised for its “frank approach” to improvement.

St Mary’s RC Primary School in Bulwark was removed from the list of schools requiring significant improvement following an Estyn inspection in 2015.

And when inspectors returned in June, they praised the further improvements at the school and in particular its plan to continue developing.

“St Mary’s is an effective school with a strong, caring and compassionate ethos,” read the Estyn report.

“Its pupils enjoy coming to school and are proud to be members of its community.

“The headteacher has worked well with staff, parents, governors, pupils and the wider community to establish a clear vision for the school and develop a sense of teamwork.

“Leaders know the school well and are open and honest about its strengths and areas for improvement. For example, the school recognises a need to improve how it challenges pupils to achieve to the best of their ability and to ensure that feedback to pupils helps to move them forward with their learning.

“This frank approach to school improvement has helped the school to identify and develop key areas of its work in recent years.

“The strength of pupils’ Welsh language skills is a particularly good example of this.”

The school has 146 pupils, 27.9 per cent of whom have additional learning needs.

“Teachers and teaching assistants plan engaging learning experiences that help to ensure pupils make good progress with their skills during lessons and over time,” continued the report.

“They encourage pupils to become active and reflective learners who know their strengths and what they need to improve.

“Pupils collaborate well with each other and show respect to their peers and adults.

“Staff know pupils and their needs well. They ensure good support for pupils that need extra help, including those that join the school with little understanding of the English language.”