CHILDREN’S services in Bournemouth has received a mixed report from Ofsted inspectors.

They praised many aspects of the services, which include schools, early years and childcare, safeguarding, fostering and adoption.

But a number of areas for improvement were also highlighted in the report, which has just been published by the gov ernment inspectorate.

Overall Children’s Services were rated as “performing well” in the annual assessment.

Strengths highlighted include improvements in daycare and childminder settings, good provision for under fives in primary schools, good sixth forms and good or outstanding special education.

The number of 16-year-olds achieving good GCSE results has improved, as has fostering and adoption services and behaviours in secondary schools has got better.

But inspectors also said “there has been no improvement in the overall effectiveness of primary or secondary schools” and said primary schools are only adequate and only half of secondaries are good or better.

They also said the youth offending team required significant improvement and the achievement of five-year-olds at the end of the foundation stage and 11-year-olds leaving primary school have not improved in recent years.

Cllr Nicola Greene, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, said: “I am very pleased to hear that our Children’s Services have been judged as performing well overall.

While we recognise some of the outstanding work that is taking place in Bournemouth, the report has also highlighted areas that need improving, in many of which we are already working hard to raise the standards.”