LLANGATTOCK School has been graded as “adequate” in both current performance and prospects for improvements by the education inspectorate, Estyn.

However the Monmouth Montessori Nursery, which is part of the school, was graded as good in both areas in a separate inspection. Both reports were carried out in May 2017.

The inspector found that Llangattock’s standards were generally appropriate to pupils’ age and ability and that pupils’ oracy and reading skills “are well developed”. However it was felt that pupils’ writing lacked accuracy and that the curriculum “is not planned well enough to ensure continuity and progression”.

Another area that the school was criticised on was that teaching does not always meet the needs of all learners.

Prospects for improvement were deemed “adequate” because: “The headteacher, staff and board of advisers share a clear and strongly-held vision that underpins all aspects of the school’s work and the head has an accurate understanding of its strengths and areas requiring improvement.”

The Montessori School fared better with a “good” in both current performance and prospects for improvement with the inspector finding that all children are content in the setting, and play and learn together happily: “Nearly all children develop good personal and social skills through their positive interactions with adults and other children and most showed an interest in books, stories and rhymes, and enjoy a wide range of early literacy and numeracy activities”.

The inspector recommended Llangattock School should improve the accuracy of pupils’ writing and ensure greater continuity and progression in curriculum planning amongst other recommendations.

The National Assembly for Wales will now require the school to submit an action plan setting out the steps that the school will take to meet the standards, and the timescale within which it will complete each step.