Crow Orchard Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 February 2023

Pupils are very proud of the history of their school, which is the oldest in Skelmersdale. They said that this history makes their school special. Pupils feel happy because they trust their teachers to help them. Pupils value the Rainbow Room, where they can go to talk about any worries that they have. Pupils behave according to the school's values, which include being honest and resilient. They treat each other with kindness. If bullying should happen, leaders deal with it quickly and effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. Pupils enjoy taking positions of leadership within the school. For example, some pupils are members of a pupil parliament while others act as reading buddies to children in the early years. These roles help pupils to develop a sense of responsibility towards each other. Parents and carers said that the school feels like a family. Leaders have strengthened the curriculum to ensure that pupils achieve highly. Most pupils enjoy their learning and achieve well.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not clearly identified the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that pupils do not build on their prior knowledge as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders finalise their curriculum design so that teachers know what to teach and when this should happen.
• Leaders have not ensured that pupils revisit their learning in a timely and effective way. This means that some pupils do not remember what they have learned over time. Leaders should ensure that pupils have opportunities to recall and revisit prior learning so that they know and remember more.

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