Calow CofE VC Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 September 2022

Pupils at Calow Church of England Primary School try their best to live out the school's motto of 'show your shine everywhere'. This is reflective of the high ambition that leaders have for pupils. They work and play together happily. Pupils say that everyone is kind. They show respect for one another and their teachers. Right from the beginning of school, pupils behave well. They enjoy the rewards they receive for doing the right thing. They are proud of their school houses: Earth, Fire, Air and Water and celebrate when they are given a house point. Everyone wants their house to win. They are keen to take on one of the many responsibilities they can have around the school. They support each other as playground pals, eco monitors and anti-bullying ambassadors. Pupils say that bullying is rare. If it happens, they know to tell a member of staff who will deal with it straight away. Pupils enjoy the school clubs that they can take part in. The school choir has an opportunity to sing in front of their families at church services. Other pupils enjoy the sports clubs. Cookery club is a popular choice where pupils learn to make a wide range of food from breakfast pots to homemade pizza.

What the school should improve

• In a very small number of foundation subjects, curriculum planning is not as precise as it could be. In these subjects, teachers are not clear enough about what they need to teach. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans clearly map out the key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember.
• Leaders have not developed a consistent approach to checking what pupils know in foundation subjects. As a result, teachers are not systematically checking that pupils remember prior knowledge or where they may have gaps in their learning. Leaders should develop an effective and proportionate approach to assessment so that teachers can accurately identify the next steps in pupils' learning.
• Leaders have ensured that significant improvements have been made to the school's curriculum. However, they have not yet checked that all of the changes made are successfully making a difference to what pupils know and remember in the long term. Leaders should ensure that their monitoring and evaluation of the school's curriculum is effective in enabling them to identify what is working well and where further improvements are needed.

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