Clawton Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Since joining the trust, leaders have guided the school through a period of significant staffing and leadership changes. The school is now stabilised. Staff and the trust are determined for all pupils to be successful. The curriculum has undergone many changes to ensure that staff have high expectations of pupils. This work is making a difference to the quality of education pupils receive. However, it is early days. Pupils do not build their knowledge well enough across the curriculum. Some pupils do not quickly become accurate readers. Pupils benefit from high-quality pastoral support. This helps pupils feel safe and welcome. Parents and carers value the care the school provides to their child. Equality is important to pupils. One pupil said, 'Everyone treats others equally here.' Staff have warm relationships with pupils to help them learn in a nurturing environment. The support in place for pupils beyond the academic is a strength. The development of character is a high priority for the school. 'Character virtues' underpin the school's offer. Pupils focus on different virtues throughout the year. For example, pupils develop an understanding of active citizenship by learning about the virtue 'inspiring fundraiser'. Pupils use their fundraising activities to help others in school and beyond the school gates.

What the school should improve

• Pupils do not always read books matched to the sounds that they know. As a result, these pupils do not have as many opportunities to practise reading and to become confident and fluent readers quickly. The trust must ensure that pupils get the precise support they need, including the opportunity to read books matched to the sounds they know, in order to learn to read successfully.
• In some subjects, strategies to check gaps in pupils' knowledge are not used effectively. As a result, staff do not routinely identify gaps in pupils' learning and are not consistently able to adapt their teaching to address those gaps. The trust needs to ensure that gaps in pupils' knowledge are identified precisely so that staff can adapt subsequent learning to support pupils to know and remember more.
• The school has not ensured that staff have the subject expertise they need to deliver the new curriculum effectively, including presenting important knowledge clearly to pupils. In the subjects where this is the case, pupils do not build their knowledge securely. The trust must continue to strengthen staff's expertise so that pupils receive the advice and guidance they need to develop their understanding of the subjects they study.

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