Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 March 2025

This is a nurturing, welcoming school. Staff take time to get to know pupils and their families well. They genuinely care about pupils and their well-being. Pupils know that they can talk to staff about any worries or concerns that they may have. Pupils behave well. They are happy here and find it an exciting place to learn. Pupils arrive at school with an eagerness to learn. They benefit highly from an extraordinary range of enrichment experiences outside of the classroom, including mountain biking, residential activities and hands-on practical learning experiences. These experiences exemplify the school's motto of 'take a RISK to be the best you can be'. Resilience, integrity, support and kindness are at the heart of the school's work. The school aspires for all its pupils to achieve well. Actions taken to improve some aspects of the curriculum have been effective. However, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Pupils who have fallen behind with their reading do not get the support that they need to become fluent and confident readers. Low achievement over time has not prepared pupils well for their next steps.

What the school should improve

• The school has not ensured that some pupils who have fallen behind with their learning in phonics are catching up quickly enough, including those with SEND. As a result, pupils have gaps in their learning and are not well prepared for their next steps. The school should ensure that pupils who have fallen behind with their reading receive the support that they need to become fluent and confident readers.
• In some subjects, the school has not ensured that teachers check pupils' learning as effectively as they should. This leads to missed opportunities to address misconceptions or extend learning when pupils are ready. This means that pupils are not achieving as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to systematically assess pupils' understanding within lessons to provide the support and challenge each child needs to achieve well.
• The monitoring of the quality of education lacks rigour in some areas of the school's work. The school does not identify where there are staff training needs or how well pupils are faring in some areas. This means that not all pupils are achieving their best, including those with SEND. The school needs to establish precise and effective ways to identify how well pupils are faring and where there are staff training needs.

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