Gilthill Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 September 2022

Gilthill Primary School 'feels like family'. This is the view of the majority of pupils, parents and carers and staff who responded to surveys or who spoke to the inspectors. Pupils are kind, caring and inclusive of each other. Staff model the kindness and respect they expect the pupils to show. Pupils say that they feel safe. They enjoy attending the school. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils know the staff will look after them and help them to learn. Pupils behave well at the school. They are very polite to all adults, including visitors. All staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and attitudes towards learning. Staff consistently remind pupils of the simple school rules. They are quick to praise the pupils that follow them. Pupils say that all staff will take reports of bullying seriously and act quickly to sort out any incidents that occur. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. They have ensured that the school's values are at the heart of everything they do. Their determination 'to inspire today's children to embrace tomorrow's challenges' is evident throughout the school. Starting from the early years provision, all pupils are supported to become confident learners.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have recently further developed the curriculum so that it sets out the key knowledge and skills pupils should acquire, and when, from the early years to Year 6. In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified and sequenced the important knowledge and skills as precisely as they have in other subjects. Where this is the case, teachers are not given clear enough guidance to support them to deliver the subject content in a logical order. As a result, pupils' knowledge and skills do not build as well as they might. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum supports all pupils to know and remember more, in all subjects, as they progress through the school.
• The support for pupils who are not fluent and confident readers is not yet consistent. Not all staff consistently address the areas where pupils are weaker. This is the case, for example, with blending. In some cases, books do not match the sounds that pupils know. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the secure knowledge and resources they need to enable all pupils to become accurate and fluent readers as quickly as they can.

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