A school in Barnoldswick still requires improvement, after a two-day inspection conducted by Ofsted.

West Craven High School, on Kelbrook Road, has been told to improve in all areas, in a report published earlier this month.

It was previously rated as requires improvement at a full school inspection, in 2022.

John Bates, who has been headmaster of the school for two years, said the school will “continue to develop and improve” as part of its aim of being the “best school for the young people in this community”.

Pupils at the school have a “strong appetite for learning” but “do not achieve as highly as they should”. Inspectors said this is because the curriculum is “not delivered effectively”.

In some subjects, staff do not know whether pupils have grasped key concepts in order to help pupils to learn successfully. Weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum mean that some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) do not learn successfully

The report said: “Pupils do not achieve well in these subjects. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged.”

According to the report, the school has also increased its expectations of how pupils should behave but there are still “some pupils who do not engage as positively as they should with their learning.”

Many pupils say bullying is not an issue and “value the support that they receive from staff”. However, some pupils say they encounter “homophobic and racist comments from their peers”. They said they do not always feel confident about reporting derogatory and discriminatory language by their peers.

There are also groups of pupils who do not attend school as regularly as they should but steps have been taken to support these pupils.

The report said: "This includes some pupils with SEND and some who are disadvantaged. The school has taken considerable steps to provide the right support for these pupils and their families.

"As a result of the school’s actions, many of these pupils have improved their rates of attendance."

The report also highlighted some positives.

The report said: “There are opportunities for pupils to take part in clubs and to take on roles of responsibility in the school.

“For example, the school has a number of ‘ambassadors’ and some pupils have completed training in mental health and anti-bullying approaches. Pupils also take part in a range of competitions and events.”

In some subjects, pupils are said to achieve well “because staff’s expectations of what pupils can do are high” and “teachers routinely check that pupils are not developing misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge”.

Reading has been prioritised and the school provides many opportunities for pupils to read regularly. There is also some support in place for those pupils who struggle to read accurately but this support is “not as effective as it should be”.

Pupils receive advice about careers and their next steps when they leave school. There are frequent opportunities for pupils to meet with local employers and to visit colleges.

The leadership and staffing are stronger now compared to the last inspection although some improvement is still needed.

The report said: “Work to develop some aspects of leadership is ongoing. This includes sharpening the processes for evaluating the impact of the school’s work.

“At times, this has hindered the pace of improvement. Staff appreciate much of the support that they have been given.

“Governors and trustees have taken appropriate action to ensure that the well-being of staff is prioritised and that workload is fully considered.”

Mr Bates said: “While we are pleased that the inspection team recognised these improvements, we acknowledge that there are still areas that we continue to develop and improve.

"These include continuing to develop consistency in the way our curriculum is delivered and assessed and continuing our relentless focus on our improvement priorities.

“I am looking forward to working with our students and their families, as we build on the positives from this report and the improvements we have made, to pursue our aim of being the best school for the young people in this community.”