Gardners Lane Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 July 2024

Pupils are happy and feel safe at Gardners Lane Primary School. Most pupils behave well and show positive attitudes towards their learning. Where some pupils struggle to manage their own behaviour, adults act swiftly. This enables pupils to learn without disruption. Pupils appreciate the actions adults take to help them resolve problems. The school is aware of the need to improve school attendance and is working with families to reduce levels of absence. Pupils new to the school quickly feel part of the school community. The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. Leaders have recently reviewed the curriculum and set out exactly what pupils should know and be able to do. However, in many subjects, this new curriculum is not currently being implemented. Consequently, pupils are not learning as well as they might. Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their interests and talents. Sport is highly inclusive at the school. Pupils participate for fun and in good natured competitions. Trips, such as to the local farm, bring the curriculum to life for pupils. Whole school cultural events such as the pantomime, visits to local book shops and guest speakers provide memorable experiences. Pupils enjoy reading to the many volunteers who support the school, including Woody the reading dog.

What the school should improve

• The approach to teaching early reading is not implemented as effectively as it could be. As a result, weaker readers struggle to develop phonics knowledge and do not regularly have the additional support they need to keep up with their peers. The school must ensure that all staff have the expertise and resources they need to help pupils rapidly improve their reading.
• The curriculum is not being implemented effectively to meet the needs of all pupils. Activities do not always match the intended outcomes or take into consideration pupils' starting points. This means some pupils do not learn the curriculum as successfully as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is well matched to pupils' starting points so that all pupils build knowledge securely across all subjects.
• The school has only recently begun to monitor the implementation and impact of the curriculum in all subject areas. This means that leaders are not able to assure themselves that the curriculum is taught as intended or evaluate how well pupils are learning. The school needs to have a clear oversight of each subject area and how well pupils are learning to inform leaders' actions.

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