Appleton Church of England (A) Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 June 2022

Leaders have high expectations. Their vision of 'building wisely for life' is at the heart of everything the school does. Relationships between staff and pupils are based on mutual respect. Pupils are kind and work alongside their peers in a supportive and thoughtful way. Staff encourage pupils to become successful, independent and resilient learners. Pupils describe their school as safe and welcoming. They form strong friendships and learn to take responsibility for themselves and others. Pupils make a difference both in school and the wider community. For instance, pupils regularly raise funds for charity and work with residents of the local care home. Pupils also organise and manage the ever-popular lunchtime 'happiness hub'. This makes the atmosphere around school peaceful and harmonious. Pupils say that bullying is rare and, if it does happen, staff will deal with it straight away. They enjoy taking part in after-school clubs, especially sports clubs, and are proud of their achievements. Parents are supportive of the school, appreciating the hard work of staff and the care taken to get to know every single child and family. As one parent commented, 'Teachers are invested genuinely in every aspect of our children's development.'

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is not as precisely sequenced as it is in others. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge and skills as well as they could. Leaders should continue their work to make sure that the curriculum in all subjects is well designed, and identify the key knowledge and skills pupils should learn.
• Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could because teaching is not always adapted sufficiently enough to meet their needs. This includes the support some pupils get to catch up in their reading. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well trained and adapt their teaching so that all pupils can achieve consistently highly.
• Leaders' and governors' oversight in some aspects of the school's work, such as behaviour and attendance, is not as sharp as it is for others. This means that actions to improve the school are not always as finely tuned as they could be. Leaders should sharpen up their monitoring processes so they can effectively evaluate the full impact of their work and, where necessary, hold school leaders to account.

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