Matthew Arnold Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 May 2025

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. They value the positive relationships that they have with their teachers. They are cared for and looked after. Pupils get along well with one another. They enjoy using the range of equipment available at breaktimes and lunchtimes, such as the outdoor trim trail and ball games. The school is ambitious for what pupils, should achieve, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils rise to the school's high expectations in the core subjects of English and mathematics. In some other subjects, the curriculum is less effective. This impacts on how well some pupils achieve. Staff expect pupils to behave well. Pupils do so because they know the 'Matthew Arnold Way,' which sets out the school's expectations of them. Pupils learn how to manage their emotions and feelings. This helps them to become more resilient and better able to deal with any challenges. Pupils attend a range of clubs and extra-curricular activities. These include choir, football and computing. These help pupils to develop their talents and interests. All pupils have the chance to play the ukulele. Pupils like looking through the 'special moments' book that shows the many visitors to school and the trips that pupils go on.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, including writing, assessment strategies are not used consistently well to identify gaps in pupils' learning and to inform decisions about what to teach next. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge well enough over time. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment techniques effectively so that gaps in pupils' knowledge are identified and addressed.
• The adaptations made for pupils with SEND, are not consistently well chosen. As a result, these pupils are sometimes not supported to access the intended curriculum. The school should ensure that any adaptations help pupils build on what they already know and can do and are closely aligned to their needs and the intended curriculum outcomes.
• The school's work to increase pupils' attendance levels has not been as effective as it could be. In particular, a small number of pupils are persistently absent. These pupils miss important learning. The school should continue to strengthen and develop its attendance processes to improve the attendance of these pupils.
• The school has implemented strategies to support staff well-being. However, these are not fully effective. As a result, some staff have concerns regarding their workload and well-being. The school should further refine its strategies to check the impact of its actions on staff workload.

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