Archbishop Courtenay Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 June 2023

Pupils are proud of the caring and inclusive community in Archbishop Courtenay School. They appreciate leaders' nurturing approach to mutual respect, which develops a sense of belonging. Pupils value friendship and collaboration. They buddy up with new arrivals, so they too quickly feel part of the school community. Pupils feel empowered to help others in this strong community. As a result, pupils are happy, kind and considerate to each other. Bullying is rare and if it occurs, leaders act quickly to address it. Leaders achieve their expectations through the school values of compassion, aspiration, friendship, resilience and respect. Pupils are motivated to be recognised for upholding these values and gain their own leaf on the 'achievement tree'. These values successfully underpin pupils' attitudes, which means behaviour is calm and orderly right from Reception Year, enabling pupils to concentrate and learn well. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and positive. Pupils are confident staff will address any concerns, which means they feel safe. Parents value leaders' purposeful and caring approach. A parent reflected these views, saying, 'This is a lovely school, where passion and commitment provide a nurturing and caring environment.'

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects, the outcomes of summative assessment do not support teachers to identify next steps in learning. This means pupils' gaps in knowledge are not addressed effectively. Leaders need to make sure that end of topic reviews allow teachers to accurately check what pupils have learned and use this to inform their future teaching.
• Leaders have not sufficiently addressed low overall attendance and persistent absence through their current approach. Too many pupils with regular absence are missing key learning. Leaders, governors and trustees need to develop a robust approach which secures improved attendance for all pupils.
• Middle leaders are not consistently strategic when reviewing their curriculum impact and implementation. This means that staff do not get the support required and that pupils do not benefit from responsive changes in the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that all middle leaders have the knowledge to ensure that their curriculum area is implemented as they intend.

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