Didsbury Road Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 July 2024

Pupils are happy to come to school each day. They champion one another and recognise each other's strengths. This contributes to an environment where success is celebrated and rewarded. Consequently, pupils are eager to succeed and to try their best. The school has the highest expectations for pupils' achievement. Typically, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across the curriculum. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They fully embrace the school's '3Bs' rules, to be kind, be respectful, be our best. As soon as they join the Nursery class, children are taught how to follow the school's behaviour routines. They are rewarded when they do so successfully. For instance, pupils enjoy receiving a kindness award. Staff and pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other. The school's meticulously designed 'My Didsbury Road Journey' provides a vast array of opportunities that prepare pupils exceptionally well for their future lives. Pupils recognise this. For example, they spoke keenly about how their independence is developed through the different residential trips. The school also offers a myriad of roles of responsibility which allow pupils to contribute positively to their school community. For instance, house captains remind pupils how to move about sensibly in the school corridors. Playground leaders and infant helpers escort younger pupils to the dining room, lead games and help them in the classroom.

What the school should improve

• In a minority of subjects, the school is still refining the key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember over time. This means that, in these subjects, some pupils do not build on their prior learning as well as they should. The school should ensure that it clearly identifies the most essential knowledge that pupils need to learn so that teachers can emphasise this when revisiting and consolidating pupils' prior knowledge.
• At times, the school's assessment strategies do not check that pupils have learned the most important parts of the curriculum, including phonics. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning or reading knowledge without teachers knowing. The school should ensure that its assessment methods support teachers to check that pupils' knowledge is secure before moving on.

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