A DARWEN school's standards are still "well below average" but some pupils are making "outstanding leaps in learning", inspectors have found.

And overall a team from the Office for Standards in Education said St James' CE Primary, St James' Crescent, was a "good and improving school".

The inspectors said the school served an area of high social deprivation and that it had pupils from traveller and asylum seeker families.

English was not the first language of nearly 10 per cent of pupils and children's abilities on entering the school were well below the national average.

But inspectors said "every child clearly matters" at the school and that from a "very low starting point, pupils make good and sometimes outstanding progress."

This was put down to strong leadership and the care, guidance and support offered to pupils.

However, a small minority of pupils were causing attendance to fall well below the national average.

Inspectors said the school must raise standards in English, maths and science.

The report added: "Standards are well below average.

"However, nearly all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or who join the school part way, achieve well.

"Their enjoyment of school is evident in their beaming faces.

"These positive charact-eristics have been nurtured by the well thought-out provision made by the school's leaders."