Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 October 2023

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are happy and safe. They speak with excitement about their learning, especially their reading. From the moment they join the school, pupils are encouraged to 'nurture, grow and succeed together'. They rise to these high expectations. Most pupils achieve well. However, pupils' written work in subjects other than English is of variable quality. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. Most pupils behave well in lessons. Some pupils need gentle reminders to focus in lessons, but learning mostly goes on undisturbed by pupils' behaviour. Pupils are encouraged to be independent and confident to take on new challenges both in and out of the classroom. Many pupils participate in a wide range of extra- curricular opportunities. These include sporting, dance and choir clubs. Pupils can follow their interests and develop their talents. Pupils take part in a variety of trips and visits that help make learning relevant and enable them to gain a range of new experiences. Pupils are proud to adopt leadership roles, including the school council, eco-leaders and play leaders.

What the school should improve

• Written work completed by pupils is of variable quality across the curriculum. This is because teachers do not insist on the same high expectations of written work in foundation subjects that they do in English. This means that pupils do not consolidate their knowledge of writing for different contexts. In turn, they do not achieve as highly in writing assessments as they could. The school should ensure that pupils' written work in foundation subjects is of the same high standard as it is in English.

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