Ivy Road Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

The school's expectations for pupils' achievement are not high enough. The school does not provide an acceptable standard of education. Pupils have gaps in their learning which are not addressed quickly enough. This is, in part, as a result of the school not implementing the necessary improvements in behaviour and the curriculum quickly enough. Leaders have focused on improving pupils' behaviour in recent years. This is having a positive effect on some pupils, but not all. There are too many occasions when poor behaviour causes disruption to pupils' learning. Dealing with poor behaviour has distracted the school from making the necessary improvements in other areas. Many pupils at this school are polite, considerate and happy. They understand the school's values of 'Community, Aspirational, Nurturing'. Pupils enjoy collecting CAN points for these values and receiving rewards. Pupils enjoy a range of different clubs and activities. Some pupils have leadership roles in school, such as eco-warriors and 'Phunky Food' ambassadors.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not been sufficiently rigorous in their appraisal of the school's strengths and weaknesses since the previous inspection. The urgent improvements required have not been addressed swiftly enough. This means that pupils do not receive an acceptable standard of education. Currently, there is no capacity to improve matters. The school should ensure that there is capacity in the school to urgently identify and improve the significant weaknesses highlighted across the inspection and previously by the local authority and in December 2022 during the school's last inspection.
• Teachers' use of assessment does not identify and/or address gaps in pupils' learning effectively. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they might otherwise be expected to. Too many pupils are not ready for the next stage of education. The school must ensure that staff use assessment consistently and effectively to identify and addresses gaps in pupils' learning.
• The curriculum, including the wider opportunities the school provides, does not develop pupils' understanding of other cultures, faiths and religions sufficiently well. This means that pupils are not well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils' understanding of other cultures, faiths and religions is strengthened effectively.
• Some pupils exhibit disruptive behaviour. Learning is negatively affected by this disruptive behaviour and a small number of pupils occasionally feel unsafe as a result. The school must ensure that pupils receive appropriate direction and support to manage their behaviour effectively, minimising the disruption to learning that affects pupils' concentration and, for some, how safe they feel in school.
• A significant number of staff do not feel well supported around managing behaviour or their workload. Staff morale is low in some quarters. The school must engage effectively with staff to ensure that they feel supported and that their workload is manageable.
• The early years curriculum is not sufficiently well planned. The needs of children are not well met. This means that too few children are ready for their learning in key stage 1. The school must ensure that provision in early years is carefully planned to meet children's needs so that more children are better prepared for learning in key stage 1.
• Pupil premium funding is not used effectively to ensure improved achievement for disadvantaged pupils. The progress that disadvantaged pupils make in reading and mathematics is weak. The school must ensure that pupil premium funding is used effectively to meet disadvantaged pupils' precise needs so that they achieve far more than they do currently in these subjects. The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

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