CASH cuts may have left their mark, but they have not stopped Springside Primary School in Bury from providing the best schooling it can.

Like many other schools, Springside suffered significant budget cuts and has struggled along without a deputy headteacher since September 1997.

But despite these difficulties, Ofsted inspectors found the school "a caring community where children's attitudes to learning are good and children leave the school with higher than average attainment in English and mathematics".

Reporting inspector Susan Brown went on to say: "In my judgement, this school is giving its pupils an acceptable standard of education."

Children were found to start the nursery with a wide range of ability and make good progress. By the start of the reception class their attainment was slightly above average.

Unusually for many primary schools, information technology was described as "a strength", with youngsters making satisfactory progress in the majority of subjects.

Physical education, however, was singled out by the Ofsted team as in need of improvement, and religious education was also said to suffer slow progress by pupils.

However, youngsters were praised for their attitude to work.

Springside's 95pc attendance record was found to be not only good, but above the national average, although the school was criticized for not keeping parents fully informed about what was being taught and children's progress.

Headteacher Michael Wright said: "Some of the issues they raised were already in the process of being tackled, and others have given us a fresh prospective on how to go about things."

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