Congerstone Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 March 2023

Relationships are positive at this school. Pupils get on well with each other and the adults that they work with. Smiles are consistently commonplace. Pupils behave well. Older pupils set a positive example for younger ones. The younger ones follow their lead. Pupils thrive on the rewards that they can earn, including merits, certificates and earning points for their house teams. They know what happens if anyone behaves poorly. The 'warnings and strikes' system is commonly understood and applied. Anyone who needs extra help to live up to the school's high expectations get the help they need through the 'rule reminders' process. However, poor behaviour is rare. Pupils take on roles and responsibilities with pride. They take their duties seriously. Roles such as positivity ambassadors, eco warriors and sports leaders are held in high esteem. Pupils recognise the developments that the school council bring about, including improving playtimes and introducing movie nights. Older pupils help to keep the school running smoothly through their 'Year Six responsibilities'. Pupils work hard in lessons. They say that the recently introduced 'learning means the world' curriculum has 'brought learning to life'. The curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• Much of the school's curriculum is at an early stage of implementation. In a small number of cases, content is not taught as it should be, or at all. In other places, lessons do not align closely enough to what the curriculum plan sets out. As a result, there are some minor inconsistencies in how well pupils learn the full breadth of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that the full content of their curriculum is being taught as intended.
• Pupils with SEND get the help they need to learn the curriculum. However, in some cases, targets are not precise enough. They do not make clear what pupils are expected to improve and when. This means that staff do not have a consistent understanding of how they should best support pupils. Leaders should ensure that the targets for pupils with SEND are precise, measurable and consistently applied.
• The early years curriculum is planned and sequenced. However, in some places, it lacks clarity about what children are expected to know or be able to do at each stage of their education. This means that teachers and leaders are unable to check precisely on how well children are acquiring the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum consistently makes clear the precise things that children are expected to master at each stage of the early years.

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