Ashcombe Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 March 2026

Pupils enjoy attending Ashcombe Primary School. While this is a large school, pupils are warmly greeted each morning by staff who know their individual names. This helps pupils to feel safe and cared for. Routines are established, and pupils quickly settle into their classes. This demonstrates that they are keen to learn. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who are disadvantaged are well looked after through the school’s pastoral support. Pupils get meaningful support to help them attend well. Over time, pupils have not achieved as well as they should. The quality of teaching is variable. The tasks that pupils are set, at times, lack ambition. Systems to check pupils’ understanding lack precision. This means that the work pupils complete does not always reflect what they are able to do. Leaders sometimes do not monitor their initiatives successfully. This can leave pupils with gaps in their knowledge. They are not always ready for the next stage of their education. Pupils across the school behave well. They are kind and show polite manners to one another. Incidents of bullying are rare. If they do occur, pupils know there are staff who will support them. Worry boxes in classrooms support pupils to tell teachers how they are feeling. Pupils appreciate the opportunities the school creates so that they build a sense of belonging. For example, this happens during ‘Friday team time’. Equally, ‘adventure days’ to the woods and the beach mean pupils build confidence and achieve well outside of the classroom. School clubs, such as gymnastics, football and choir, help pupils to develop their skills and talents.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure teaching helps pupils to improve the accuracy in their writing across subjects, particularly in handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation, so that pupils secure the knowledge they need to be well prepared for the next stage.
• Leaders should make sure that teaching provides appropriate ambition for pupils who have already secured the intended learning.
• Leaders should ensure that assessment is used more effectively to inform future learning, so pupils secure more of the knowledge and skills that they need.
• Leaders should ensure that they implement rigorous monitoring systems to check the impact of their improvement strategies.
• Leaders should continue their work to remove barriers to attendance and secure sustained improvements in overall attendance and persistent absence.

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