North Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 September 2023

Pupils enjoy their learning and appreciate the supportive environment at North Primary School. Pupils behave well; they feel safe and are kept safe. For example, pupils make regular use of the 'listening post'. This allows them to raise any worries they might have and provides them with the opportunity to speak with the school therapist. They know that adults take any concerns they raise seriously. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. Pupils learn a broad and interesting curriculum. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are typically well supported to develop a depth of knowledge in different subjects. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Pupils take part in a range of enrichment opportunities. They enjoy visits, including to Kew Gardens and the British Museum, that support their learning in the classroom. Pupils take part in a range of additional activities, such as fencing, gymnastics, athletics and choir. Pupils are enthusiastic about these experiences, and they are keen to share with the inspector how they created a water wheel as part of the science club.

What the school should improve

• Although the culture of safeguarding means that pupils are kept safe, in a few instances, the administration of safeguarding arrangements lacks appropriate rigour and oversight. This means that the school has missed gaps in some of the procedures for keeping pupils safe in relation to the single central record and arrangements for reporting pupils leaving the school roll. The school needs to ensure that those responsible for carrying out and overseeing the administration of safeguarding understand and fulfil their roles effectively. The school should establish suitably rigorous and systematic arrangements for checking that administrative processes fully support its work to maintain a culture of safeguarding.
• The approach to assessment in some subjects is at an earlier stage of design. In these instances, pupils' learning is not checked as consistently. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge that persist over time. The school must ensure that staff use assessment across the curriculum effectively to identify and correct any misconceptions in pupils' understanding.

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