Castledyke Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 July 2024

Pupils are happy and proud to belong to a school that is valued as an important part of the local community. Pupils welcome visitors to their school. The care that staff provide for pupils, parents and carers is highly evident. Staff build strong relationships with parents right from the early years. Parents welcome and appreciate this level of care. The pastoral team helps families to access local services. The school aspires for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. Children in the early years get off to a strong start. However, the school's ambition for pupils is not realised. There is much more work needed to ensure that the pupils at this school receive the high quality of education that they deserve. The school has recently reviewed its behaviour policy. Subsequent changes are at an early stage of implementation. Leaders recognise that there is more to do to ensure that their expectations for behaviour are made clear to pupils at all times. Pupils enjoy coming to school. The school has a supportive approach to managing pupils' attendance with families. Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular clubs. They talk proudly about their leadership roles including well-being ambassadors and school councillors. Pupils understand their roles and value the leadership skills that they are developing.

What the school should improve

• In most subjects, the school has not identified the important knowledge that it wants pupils to learn. This means that, from Years 1 to 6, pupils are not able to build effectively on what they already know. The school must set out clearly the important knowledge that pupils need to learn in each year group.
• Activities and resources are not matched well enough to the knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure that staff are given the training and support that they need to enhance their subject knowledge and select resources and activities that will help pupils to build their knowledge step by step in each subject.
• The mathematics curriculum is not implemented well enough. Pupils do not secure the knowledge and skills they need to do well in mathematics or to complete more complex tasks. The school should ensure that staff are trained to implement the mathematics curriculum to meet all pupils' needs so that they achieve well.
• The systems and processes to support pupils with SEND are not rigorous enough. The targets set for pupils with SEND are not sufficiently accurate. This means, pupils with SEND do not receive the support and intervention that they need to access the curriculum well. The school needs to ensure that clear plans for support and interventions are in place so that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need in a timely manner.
• The school's new approach to managing pupils' behaviour is not fully understood by staff and pupils. As a result, behaviour in lessons and at unstructured times of the day is inconsistent. The school should ensure that all staff are trained to follow the agreed behaviour policy consistently and that a culture of high expectations is embedded.

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