A SCHOOL in Cumbria has been told that it 'requires improvement' by education watchdog Ofsted.

Progress Schools in Carlisle were visited by the office for standards in education in April and received the results this week.

The independent special school, which takes on pupils who often have a previous history of bad behaviour or poor attendance records, currently has 10 students on its books.

However, the Ofsted report stressed that one of the main areas of concern for the Victoria Place school was the failure to adjust the curriculum to suit every pupil's needs.

They also raised issue with the school's reading system - which encourages widespread reading through a connection with the local library - but claims that it did not provide staff with sufficient training in order to provide effective support to struggling readers.

When the school was last assessed in 2019, it was ranked as 'good' by Ofsted but standards have slipped in the past four years, with both the quality of education and the leadership and management told that it requires improvement.

The report writes: "Leaders have not ensured that teachers have sufficient subject knowledge and expertise to adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils.

"In some subjects, teachers do not address the gaps in pupils’ learning and any misconceptions that pupils may have before moving on to new learning.

"They do not use assessment information as effectively as they should to shape future teaching.

"This means that some pupils are not able to successfully learn or remember some elements of the curriculum."

However, the school is praised for how the students are encouraged to positively contribute to the community and their work in preparing the pupils for post-16 provision, whether that be in further education or a career.