Kershaw Wood

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 March 2025

Kershaw Wood is a welcoming and friendly school. Warm and positive relationships underpin this caring learning community. Pupils say that they are happy. The parents and carers who spoke to inspectors are very pleased with the school. One parent summed up the views of others when they said, 'This school is the best place for my child.' The school has high expectations for all pupils' achievement. The pupils understand these expectations and try their hardest to meet them. Many have experienced a very difficult start to their education. Most start at the school after a significant amount of time out of education. The school positively impacts pupils' experience of education and their self-confidence. In a short space of time, staff have built trust with both pupils and parents. Staff use trauma-informed approaches consistently to support pupils when they struggle to regulate their emotions. Once settled, pupils' behaviour improves. They engage with learning and make some positive memories. The school has developed a curriculum that builds from pupils' starting points. It considers the need for pupils to be 'ready to learn'. However, some subjects do not identify exactly what pupils should learn. Aspects of the curriculum are not consistently implemented.

What the school should improve

• In less well-developed subjects, the important knowledge and skills pupils are expected to know and remember are not clear. In these subjects, pupils do not develop a secure understanding of what they are learning. The school should ensure that the curriculum clearly defines the key content pupils will learn over time in all subjects.
• There are occasions when the learning activities and work given to pupils do not always support them in knowing and remembering key knowledge. When this is the case, pupils struggle to recall the important knowledge they need. The school needs to ensure that staff have the teaching expertise they need to deliver the intended curriculum, including planning precise and purposeful activities, to help all pupils build knowledge consistently well.
• Staff do not have the precise information they need about pupils and do not use assessment as effectively as they should. This lack of clarity is evident in pupils' support strategies and interventions, as well as in some subject areas. This hinders staff from identifying and then addressing any gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that assessment systems provide staff with a precise understanding of all pupils' needs and whether pupils have learned the key knowledge needed to succeed.

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