Ghyllside Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 July 2025

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and nurturing at this school. Pupils are confident that they are valued by staff and are listened to. Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. They get along well together and develop positive friendships. The school is ambitious for its pupils. It has made recent, substantial changes to the design of its curriculum to reflect its high expectations. Published outcomes in 2024 show that pupils typically achieve well at the end of key stage 2 in English and mathematics. However, this strength is not reflected across other areas of the curriculum where its delivery is not as effective. This means there is variability in how well pupils learn, and they have gaps in their knowledge. The school broadens pupils' experiences. Pupils take part in annual residential trips, starting in Year 3. These include camping, hill walking and visits to cities. Pupils also participate in many outdoor experiences, including the expedition club, and activities such as pond dipping. They cherish these opportunities. The school develops pupils' talents and interests. Pupils learn to play sports and musical instruments. They perform at external events. Pupils enjoy attending a range of extra- curricular clubs. These include knitting, gardening, lacrosse, and comic club.

What the school should improve

• There is variability in the delivery of the curriculum. Consequently, pupils' learning does not build as securely as it should, and they struggle to recall learning in the longer term. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to deliver the curriculum consistently well, so pupils receive a consistent quality of education across subjects.
• The school's assessment systems are in their infancy. Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not consistently identified and addressed in lessons and over time. This means that pupils' knowledge does not build as securely and deeply as it should. The school should develop its strategies to check pupils' learning so that they build a secure body of knowledge across all subjects.
• The effectiveness of the school's support for pupils with SEND is variable. Staff have not had sufficient guidance to identify pupils' key next steps clearly or to adapt the delivery of the curriculum effectively to focus on these. This means that some pupils with SEND do not build on their knowledge consistently and do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure the agreed targets for pupils with SEND are clear and specific, and staff adapt teaching effectively, so these pupils consistently achieve well.
• Leaders and trustees do not ensure they have sufficient oversight of the curriculum. This means that variability in the delivery and impact of the curriculum is not identified and acted on as swiftly as it could. The school should ensure there are robust checks in place to enable leaders to identify and address inconsistencies in the delivery and impact of the curriculum.

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