Allerton CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 July 2022

There is no doubt that Allerton Church of England, or 'ACE' as pupils call it, is a special place. Pupils say it is a safe and loving place to be where teachers are encouraging. Teachers make their classrooms exciting places for pupils to learn. This is the case right through the school. For instance, pupils enter their well-stocked library through a 'Chronicles of Narnia' inspired wardrobe. Pupils are fully engaged in their lessons. At social time, there is a lively atmosphere as friends play together, making use of the fun equipment and the activities provided for them. Pupils are eager to talk about what they enjoy about their school. Bullying is a rare event and pupils are confident that teachers will always be on hand to support them if they have a problem. Pupils benefit from the extensive range of clubs on offer which are returning after lockdown. These include art, sport and languages. During the inspection, children in the reception classes were on a magic train ride to Knaresborough. Pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 participated in their sports day which took place at Leeds Beckett University. Older pupils are asked to demonstrate the school's values to younger pupils as Role Models. They about these roles with great maturity. Values such as having an enquiring mind and being resilient of spirit are lived in this caring and vibrant school. The school community comes together when necessary to support each other, including during the pandemic. Parents and carers are very positive about the school. The overwhelming majority would recommend it. One parent wrote 'what I love about ACE is the focus on preparing the pupils to be caring and compassionate citizens of the world.'

What the school should improve

• Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for the foundation subjects. However, some elements of this are too challenging or sometimes pupils do not remember what they have been taught previously. This means that pupils are unable to access some of the curriculum content well. They do not always have the prior knowledge to be successful. Leaders are reviewing the curriculum in these subjects and should ensure that all areas of their intended curriculum are delivered at an appropriate level so that pupils retain the knowledge they have been taught and are able to build upon it.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)