Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 January 2025

Pupils are happy learning and playing at this caring school where everyone is valued and included. They are unfailingly polite and show kind attitudes towards each other. The foundation for these positive attitudes is formed in the early years, when children learn to enjoy listening, sharing, taking turns and helping each other to tidy up. Pupils helped to devise the school's rules, which they know are fair and effective. They rise to staff's high expectations of behaviour. They know that the school expects them to do their best. They work hard and most achieve well in most subjects. Pupils enjoy attending a wide range of sporting, artistic and cultural activities which the school arranges for them outside lesson time. They relish opportunities to take on responsibilities, for example by being librarians or 'guardian angels' who help younger pupils at lunchtime. They take their responsibility for the environment seriously, including by recycling, planting bulbs and looking after the school's woodland area. Pupils benefit from activities, including 'Mindfulness Mondays', which help them to develop their decision-making skills, resilience and understanding of emotions. They show a strong understanding of, and respect for, people whose beliefs and ways of living are different from their own.

What the school should improve

• At times, some teachers do not use their checks on pupils' writing skills well enough to identify and address misconceptions and gaps in learning. As a result, some pupils do not write as accurately as they could. Weaknesses in the writing skills of these pupils sometimes hinder the quality of their written communication across the wider curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment information effectively to inform future teaching so that all pupils communicate consistently well in writing across the curriculum.

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