A Suffolk school has been told it ‘requires improvement’ for the second time in two years after a visit from inspectors.

Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School in Debenham was visited by Ofsted in June after they were previously rated as 'requires improvement' by the education regulators in 2017.

The school, which teaches pupils from the age of two to 11, received the rating in four out of five categories, only achieving a 'good' in early years provision.

It has since said that staff are "diligently working" to improve standards.

Inspectors told the school that there were a range of areas in which they needed to improve.

They said: "Too few pupils make good progress in mathematics in key stage 2 because of the quality of teaching" also stating that teachers "do not always set work at the right level of difficulty for pupils".

Another issue at the school is with pupils with special educational needs.

Inspectors highlighted that monitoring of SEN pupils is "not ensuring that they make enough progress".

Head teacher Julia van Ek said: "Whilst the grading is a disappointment, it is heartening that inspectors noted the progress made in key areas since our last inspection and saw how our team clearly understand where further improvement is needed.

"We are working diligently to implement training and as a result, there is good practice within the school which we are able to share and build upon.

"We are delighted that Ofsted recognised the strengths in teaching in the Early Years and phonics, and the support that pupils receive both for their social and emotional needs and their learning."

Representatives from Ofsted did highlight the good work that the school is doing. They said that the school is a "caring and nurturing environment that meets the spiritual, moral, social and cultural needs of its pupils".

The Debenham school has 203 pupils on it's register.

It is a voluntary aided school which mean that it is state funded but receives contributions from a trust which has a substantial influence in the running of the school. Because of the rating, the school will again be inspected within 30 months of their previous date.