Drayton Green Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 February 2024

Staff ensure that pupils are looked after and kept safe in school. Pupils turn to staff if they need help and pupils also support each other. For example, the school council recently launched the 'pickle box', a worry box where pupils can post their concerns if they are upset or worried. Pupils are taught about the importance of politeness and treating people considerately. Pupils act as 'kindness ambassadors' to help new pupils when they join the school or those who may be going through a challenging time. Pupils know how they are expected to behave and typically, they follow the school's rules. At times, unsettled conduct in class disrupts learning. Pupils are happy here. They attend a range of after-school clubs, including art, choir, dance and a range of sports. Pupils have opportunities to perform in various school productions and concerts. Recent changes in leadership, teaching staff and support staff have affected the quality of education for pupils. The school is now more settled than it has been in the recent past and there are signs that the school is improving.

What the school should improve

• Recent changes in staffing, including in leadership and management, and high levels of staff absence have impacted on the school's effectiveness. The school does not have robust systems in place to check the quality of curriculum delivery and to provide all staff with the training and support they need. The school should ensure that leadership and management is strengthened to help secure the necessary improvements to the quality of education. The school should ensure that staff receive the support and development that they need to fulfil their roles effectively.
• Pupils with SEND are not supported consistently well. Teachers and support staff sometimes lack the expertise and resources to assess and meet pupils' needs precisely. The school should ensure that all staff are suitably trained and confident to support the learning of pupils with SEND.
• The school has not ensured that younger children and those at the early stages of reading gain the phonics knowledge necessary to read. Weaker readers are not identified or given additional support quickly which hinders pupils from catching up rapidly. The school should ensure that all staff are trained and confident to teach phonics securely. The school should ensure that weaker readers receive the support they need to address any gaps quickly.
• The curriculum in early years is at an early stage of development. The school has not identified precisely what they want children to learn in each area of learning and how this builds progressively. This means that children are not as well prepared as they should be for future learning in Year 1 and beyond. The school should ensure that the curriculum in early years is coherently planned and well sequenced.
• The rate of persistent absence is high. Leaders should continue to analyse attendance information and develop strategies to encourage and support regular attendance.
• While safeguarding is effective, inspectors found some minor weaknesses in the school's safeguarding procedures. The school should sharpen oversight of safeguarding and ensure that all staff receive further training in using the new online system consistently for recording concerns.

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