Matchborough First School Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 March 2024

Pupils at Matchborough First School Academy are flourishing. Staff greet pupils with a smile each morning. Relationships are positive. Pupils enjoy celebrating their talents and achievements. They look forward to being a 'whizz kid' in assemblies. This is an inclusive school. The school builds a community where everyone aims high for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils show respect and care for one another. There is a calmness to the school. Pupils behave well. They concentrate well in lessons and are confident to talk about their learning. They greet each other and staff warmly. Pupils feel safe in school. They learn how to keep themselves safe in the wider world. Pupils know who they would go to if they were worried. They say staff are good listeners. Pupils are proud of their achievements. They enjoy the sporting opportunities provided, including the inter-school competitions they participate in. Pupils also enjoy other experiences on offer, including choir, learning music, playing in a band and learning outdoors. Parents and carers speak highly about the school, particularly how staff build pupils' self-esteem and confidence. Everyone has the best interests of the children at heart.

What the school should improve

• Teachers do not always provide pupils with the opportunity to focus on the important knowledge in some subjects. As a result, pupils are not clear on what key knowledge they are learning and are not able to make connections with prior learning. The school should continue to ensure that the delivery of the curriculum in all subjects helps pupils to build on and remember key knowledge over time.
• The school's work to improve attendance and reduce absence is not yet fully effective. High rates of absence impact on how well pupils learn and slows their progress. The school should review how they work with parents and carers to ensure that actions taken lead to improvements in pupils' attendance.
• Those responsible for the governance of the school have not always had a clear oversight of their roles and responsibilities. This means that they have not consistently held school leaders to account with sufficient rigor. The trust should ensure that all trustees understand their roles and responsibilities fully and have the skills needed to hold school leaders to account.

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