An exclusive private school in St John's Wood that toppled from an outstanding rating to requires improvement is on its way back up.

Education watchdog Ofsted downgraded The American School in London (ASL) two levels after an inspection last December found that teaching places more weight on the school’s "approach to social justice than on learning subject-specific knowledge and skills".

Inspectors have returned to the Waverley Place school for a "progress monitoring inspection" and said ASL "meets all the previously unmet requirements", although the rating does not change until a full inspection is carried out in 18 months.

READ MORE: St John's Wood school downgraded by Ofsted after 'social justice' focus

Quality of education, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, and the quality of leadership in and management of schools, previously received the second-lowest rating of 'requires improvement'.

Inspectors also said the school did not meet the Independent Schools Standard.

Ofsted said: "The interim head of school and senior leaders have not shied away from getting to the heart of the issues raised in the previous inspection report. 

"They secured significant cultural change throughout the school and addressed the standards not met at the previous standard inspection. 

The previous inspection found that in lower school and middle school, leaders and staff "placed more emphasis often on discussing social justice issues, based on the school’s social justice programme, than on teaching subject-specific knowledge and skills" the report said, with some "members of staff were promoting partisan political views". 

The report said: "Senior leaders have worked effectively with leaders of subjects and teaching staff. They have carried out a rigorous review of each scheme of work in every subject area (...) Leaders have ceased the use of Learning for Justice social-justice standards in the school, and these standards no longer inform teaching." 

They said leaders have reorganised the former restricted ‘affinity’ groups and made sure that membership is now open to all pupils.

A spokesperson for ASL thanked parents for their "unanimous vote of confidence" adding: "As we move forward we will be relentless in continuing to improve the quality of education for our students.

"Inspections of this kind help us to reflect on and refine our practice. The Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees will be working closely with our new head of school, Matt Horvat, to ensure that ASL continues to be a reflective and dynamic educational environment for all.

"They have identified those aspects of the school’s curriculum that were the source of concerns and taken decisive action to neutralise areas of weakness."

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