Great Malvern Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Since the last inspection, the school has not acted effectively to support pupils' achievements. As a result, standards have fallen. In the last two years, the outcomes that pupils achieve in national curriculum tests have declined. Recently appointed leaders have introduced strategies to stem the decline of standards. These are effective and are beginning to have a positive impact on pupils' learning. The school now have high expectations for pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These expectations are now more routinely realised. Pupils at this school are a delight. They are welcoming, friendly and want to learn. They enjoy coming to school and do their best in lessons. Warm and respectful relationships between adults and pupils are commonplace. Pupils behave well and the school is calm and orderly. They are confident that their teachers will deal with any issues quickly and effectively. Pupils benefit from an extensive range of activities that develop their personalities and further their interests. The activities include trips, visits, external visitors, competitions and assemblies. Pupils value the many opportunities that they otherwise may not have.

What the school should improve

• Some subject leaders are learning how to discharge their role and responsibilities for designing and monitoring the effectiveness of their subject curriculum. As a result, the curriculums in some subjects are not sufficiently well designed to ensure teachers receive the information they need to teach well. The school should ensure that all subject leaders develop their knowledge and understanding so they can effectively fulfil their roles.
• Assessment is not always used consistently. Some teachers do not know what gaps in knowledge persist so are not able to adapt their teaching and pupils' learning slows. The school should ensure that all staff use assessments consistently well to identify what pupils can do and have learned.
• Not all staff support pupils consistently well, including pupils with SEND. At times, pupils do not do as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to effectively support all pupils' learning.
• The curriculum in the early years does not always set out the precise knowledge children need to know and learn. This means that staff are not always clear on what to teach and when. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum makes clear the learning, skills and knowledge children should know.

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