Five Ways Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 May 2025

Five Ways is a school that sits at the centre of the local community. It is one big family where pupils are taught to be kind to each other. Staff have strong relationships with pupils. Recently, pupils have not achieved as highly as they should in mathematics. Staff set high expectations for how pupils should behave. Most pupils rise to these expectations and are incredibly polite and respectful. However, some vulnerable pupils have not received the right support to enable them to meet the school's high behaviour expectations. The school has begun work to improve this area. Pupils have opportunities to take part in football, choir, badminton and athletics clubs. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 attend an annual residential to take part in outdoor activities such as kayaking and rock climbing. Pupils learn to play instruments such as guitar, keyboard and ukulele. The curriculum is enriched through visits, for example to a farm to learn about animals and a castle to learn about local history. Pupils attend a range of theatre productions. Children in early years recently learned about life cycles by caring for ducklings as they hatched.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, staff do not consistently address gaps in pupils' knowledge. In these subjects, pupils do not remember important concepts and knowledge as well as they should. The school should ensure that gaps in pupils' knowledge are consistently addressed so they remember the most important knowledge across the curriculum.
• Letter formation is not consistently and effectively taught. As a result, some pupils do not learn to form letters correctly in their writing. The school should consistently implement recent changes to the way pupils are taught to form letters in order to help pupils write accurately and successfully.
• The school has not made sure that all staff have the necessary expertise to support pupils with SEND effectively. This affects the achievement of some pupils with SEND. The school should ensure that staff have the right expertise, including how to use appropriate strategies to support pupils with SEND effectively.
• Some vulnerable pupils do not consistently receive the right support to enable them to meet the school's high behaviour expectations. This means that some pupils continue to struggle to manage their behaviour. The school should review its behaviour policy and ensure that staff have the expertise to provide vulnerable pupils with the right support at the right time.

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