Idle CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 January 2025

Idle Primary is a caring and supportive school. Pupils know that there is always someone that they can talk to if they are worried. They appreciate the chance to resolve problems together. Pupils' behaviour is calm and positive. As soon as they start, pupils are taught to be ready, respectful and safe. A small number of pupils who need extra help in managing their behaviour are very well supported. Values such as inclusion, community, pride and resilience are threaded through everything the school does. As a result, pupils develop an awareness of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. The school has high expectations for all pupils' achievements. However, some aspects of the quality of education do not allow all pupils to reach their academic potential. The school has taken necessary action to improve the curriculum in the last three years. However, inconsistencies in the curriculum mean that, in some subjects, pupils are not able to build knowledge progressively over time. Pupils enjoy a variety of extra-curricular opportunities, including sport, music and cooking. The school provides leadership opportunities for pupils. For example, pupils can be play leaders, school councillors, reading buddies and worship leaders. These roles encourage pupils to make positive contributions to the school community.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, and in the early years, the precise knowledge that pupils should learn is not identified consistently. As a result, teachers are unclear about what they should be teaching and when in these areas. The school must ensure it identifies the most important knowledge and concepts that pupils need to learn clearly and consistently, so that the implementation of the curriculum can be more effective.
• In some subjects, and particularly where the curriculum has been more recently implemented, the subject knowledge of teachers and leaders is not strong. As a result, teachers find it difficult to adapt lessons, to check how well pupils are learning and to address any gaps in knowledge before moving on to more complex tasks. The school needs to ensure that staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach the breadth of the curriculum consistently.
• The school's work to engage with parents effectively has had variable success. Consequently, some parents are worried about the changes that have taken place in school and the impact on their children. The school should continue to improve its engagement with parents so that there is clarity about what is happening, why and when.
• Due to recent changes at the school, leaders' work has not yet had the intended impact in school. There is some remaining confusion about who is responsible for what and how impact will be checked. The school should further clarify the roles so that leaders, including governors, are clear about what they are responsible for and how their actions will be checked in relation to improving the school's quality of education.

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