Cedarwood Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 January 2023

Pupils really enjoy attending Cedarwood School. They love the many practical activities they do as part of lessons. These help them have a strong understanding of what they have learned and, as a result, they achieve well. Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can accomplish and have high expectations for their behaviour. Pupils are very polite and welcoming. An increasing number of pupils who speak English as an additional language are joining the school. Pupils look after them and make sure they are included in their play at breaktimes. Pupils have access to a wide range of play equipment and facilities outside. The school is calm, and pupils are focused in lessons. They work hard. They enjoy sitting together to listen to stories. Pupils have lots of responsible jobs and they also read to younger pupils at lunchtimes. There is very little bullying and pupils are very sure that if others are mean to them, the adults will sort it out quickly.

What the school should improve

• Over the last few years, partly as a side-effect of COVID restrictions, some pupils have not been taught good enough posture for writing, meaning some have poor pencil grip. Leaders need to ensure that pupils in the youngest years get enough opportunities to develop their fine motor control, so they develop good habits before moving through the school.
• The curriculum is ambitious. However, the steps to teach the most complex aspects are sometimes not precise enough. This means that some pupils struggle to understand the most challenging parts of the curriculum. Leaders need to make sure teachers have the knowledge of how to plan these precise steps between lessons effectively.

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