Knutton St Marys CofE Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 March 2025

Knutton St Marys has experienced turbulence in leadership over the past few years. This is now stable. The school has begun to raise its expectations of what pupils can achieve. Improvements have been identified, and while work to achieve this has begun, it is in the early stages. This is a warm and friendly school where everyone is treated equally. The school has re- established its values of forgiveness, generosity, respect, kindness and peace. Staff and pupils live out these values. The school has recently improved its management of pupils' behaviour. Staff set high expectations for how pupils should behave. Vulnerable pupils receive support to help them to stay calm so that they can learn. Pupils behave well at playtimes. During lessons, most pupils listen and work hard. They feel happy and safe. The school has recently introduced a range of inclusive extra-curricular activities to extend pupils' learning beyond the curriculum. These include dodgeball, dance and karaoke. The curriculum is enriched through a range of visits. For example, pupils went to a farm to learn about animals and to a theatre to watch a pantomime. Pupils learn about how to stay physically healthy. They take part in competitive sports, such as curling and archery.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, the curriculum is not coherently set out. This does not enable pupils to build secure knowledge and skills in the subjects over time. The school should review and embed the curriculum for a few subjects to ensure that the sequence of learning has the expected impact.
• The school has not ensured that all staff have the required subject knowledge to teach all subjects effectively. This means that some subjects are not taught as well as they should be. The school should ensure that all staff have the expertise to teach the whole curriculum effectively.
• The school has not ensured that recently introduced checks on pupils' learning are used effectively. As a result, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge that are not swiftly identified and addressed. The school should ensure that staff accurately assess pupils' learning in all subjects to identify and address gaps in their knowledge.
• Too many pupils are absent from school. As a result, they miss important learning. The school should do everything possible to increase attendance rates so that pupils achieve their full potential.

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