TEACHING needs to improve at a Southend school, Ofsted says.

Inspectors from the education watchdog first said in January that Thorpe Greenways Junior School needed to improve.

Now they have found action is still required to raise the quality of teaching and learning.

Governors must hold the school to account, the inspection team concluded after a two-day visit in May.

The management team at the school – part of the Federation of Greenways Schools – welcomed the latest report from Ofsted and said it was ready to make further improvements.

Inspectors praised pupils’ progress and behaviour, the new staff training programme and the relationship between the headteacher and senior leaders in the federation.

Ofsted said senior management had a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

Steps had also been taken between the May and January inspections to improve pupils’ progress in maths, with moreable pupils now being challenged to aim higher.

The report said: “Governors have not challenged school leaders rigorously enough to help improve the school more quickly.”

Inspectors found the school must further improve maths standards. The report added: “There are insufficient planned opportunities for pupils to solve mathematical problems, or to use their mathematics skills in different subjects and too often, pupils, especially the more able, are not given hard enough work to do to help them learn faster.”

Federation headteacher Ashley Eastwood said: “We recognise from the report that, while not yet good, we are on the right path.

“The report clearly identifies that the school has appropriate plans in place and that teaching and achievement are improving across the school.

“We are working incredibly hard with a number of different partners to achieve the outcomes we all want for the children and have every confidence in our future success.”