Captains Close Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Pupils feel happy and safe here. The school provides a calm and caring environment. There are warm relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils are friendly, polite and kind. They endeavour to follow the behaviour code: 'be ready, be safe, and be respectful'. Pupils have positive attitudes and enjoy learning. They proudly explain how they are developing skills for the future. Older pupils work maturely on their individual laptops. They navigate proficiently around the different learning platforms. They know how to stay safe online. They recognise sustainable benefits of technology, such as not wasting paper. The school provides a wide range of experiences to promote pupils' broader development. Pupils speak enthusiastically of the many clubs and events for sports and music. They speak fondly of representing their school in team events. Pupils learn well about being active citizens. They are keen to hold responsible roles such as class or sports ambassadors. Pupils are proud to lead school events and coffee mornings where they greet and serve guests. The school wants all pupils to do well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is mostly the case. The school is taking determined action to address a few areas where pupils can achieve better.

What the school should improve

• For a few foundation subjects, the school is implementing revised curriculum plans that provide a sharper focus on what pupils need to learn and that revisit learning more regularly. These revisions are not embedded yet. Pupils' knowledge is less secure, and they sometimes recall activities rather than what has been taught. The school needs to embed the revisions in the curriculum and ensure lesson activities support pupils to learn and remember essential knowledge.
• In the early years, staff do not check children's engagement and learning through independent activities as well as they should. Additionally, they do not use assessment information consistently well to plan these activities. This means that children's learning is not as strong as it could be. The school should ensure that assessment is focused and used effectively to shape learning experiences that build on and strengthen children's knowledge.
• The revised behaviour policy is not yet consistently understood and embedded. A few pupils and parents do not fully understand the school's new approaches to maintaining positive behaviour and there are occasional inconsistencies in how they are applied by staff. The school should ensure the behaviour policy is consistently followed and fully understood by all.

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