Ecclesfield Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 May 2024

Pupils enjoy school life at Ecclesfield Primary School. Pupils are happy and safe in school. They know they can talk to a trusted adult if anything is worrying them. Pastoral support for pupils is strong. Children in the early years quickly settle into expected routines and show positive attitudes to their learning. The school has high expectations for the achievement of all pupils. However, outcomes in national tests and assessments for pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2023 were not as high as the school's expectations. Improvements are already underway to improve the achievement of current pupils. Across the school, current pupils are making good progress from their varying starting points. Most pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school. However, the school's expectations of behaviour are sometimes not lived out as well as intended. Through the wider curriculum, pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They can talk about how to stay safe both online and within their community. Pupils appreciate the school trips they experience and meeting visitors who come to school. For example, pupils have opportunities to raise their aspirations through visitors from different professions, including the Royal Navy and local industries. Pupils enjoy a variety of responsibilities on offer. Opportunities to be a peer mediator or an eco-warrior, for example, give pupils the chance to develop their leadership skills.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is not implemented effectively. Pupils struggle to connect new knowledge with what they have already learned. Some activity choices do not match the intent of the curriculum or support pupils to make these connections. The school must ensure that there are clear expectations in how all subjects are taught and implemented so that pupils build strong knowledge in all subjects.
• The school does not have clear, consistent expectations for managing pupils' behaviour. On occasions, the poor behaviour of some pupils is not managed consistently well by staff. The school must ensure that consistently high expectations of behaviour are understood and adhered to by all.
• Attendance for a small minority of pupils is too low. Pupils miss out on important learning. This creates gaps in their knowledge and hampers their progress. The school should continue to work with parents to help them understand the importance of making sure their children attend school every day.

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