George Spicer Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 February 2023

Even though this large school is split across two different sites, pupils all feel part of one big community. From the early years through to Year 6, pupils are motivated, work hard and enjoy their time at school. They especially like the times when everyone comes together for special assemblies and events. Pupils speak highly of their teachers and the other staff who help them. Pupils feel safe in school. They said that staff are kind and friendly. Pupils are confident to report any worries they might have. They behave well. Pupils look after each other at breaktimes and support their classmates in lessons. They learn how to manage their feelings and emotions. Staff sort out any problems well, including bullying. Pupils enjoy the 'time to shine' assemblies. They are keen to win the trophies for a range of competitions, including singing, spelling and times tables. Pupils really look forward to receiving enough gold stars to attend the afternoon tea party with the headteacher. Leaders and all staff have high expectations of what pupils should achieve. Staff work effectively together, including with parents and carers, to give pupils the help they need to be successful. Pupils achieve well. By the end of Year 6, they are prepared for the move to secondary school.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, leaders have not identified the most important content that must be taught. In some topics, there is a lot to fit in. In others, there is confusion about the most important subject content that pupils absolutely need to know. Sometimes, this leads to teachers choosing for themselves what to cover. Leaders need to refine curriculum thinking in these subjects. They need to identify the most important knowledge that pupils must be taught in each topic.
• The use of assessment in some subjects is in development. Where this is the case, leaders have not worked out how teachers should check what pupils know and remember over time. This means that it is difficult for leaders to keep a clear picture of what pupils know and can do. This could lead to gaps in pupils' learning. Leaders should strengthen the approaches for checking what pupils know and can do in these subjects, without causing unnecessary work for teachers.

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