Nutgrove Methodist Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Pupils are happy and enjoy attending Nutgrove Methodist Primary School. They feel safe in school. Pupils trust that staff will listen to any worries or concerns and help them when needed. Most pupils behave well and have fun at playtimes with their friends. They appreciate the new playground markings which the school council helped to organise. However, the behaviour of some pupils in lessons and around school is not as positive. Some staff do not ensure that pupils follow the behaviour systems. This leads to disruption in some lessons. The school has set out what pupils should learn. However, its expectations for what pupils can achieve are not high enough. The school has begun to develop the skills and expertise of staff in how best to deliver the curriculum. In some instances, this is beginning to make a difference to how much pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), know. Nevertheless, this is not consistent across classes and subjects. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Pupils enjoy visits to museums and art galleries that link to their learning. However, these are not carefully thought through by the school. This results in a lack of opportunity for some pupils. Pupils take on some leadership roles such as school councillors and playground leaders. While pupils enjoy these responsibilities, they are not given enough opportunities to make a difference or to have a true voice in the school.

What the school should improve

• The school has not identified the key component knowledge in some subjects. This means that pupils, and children in the early years, do not build a rich body of knowledge over time. The school should define the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn across the curriculum. This is so that pupils have a sufficiently secure foundation on which to build new learning.
• There are weaknesses in how the curriculum is delivered across a number of subjects, and in the early years, and this goes unchecked by the school. As a result, some pupils' learning, including those with SEND, is not secure or as deep as it could be. The school should support teachers and upskill subject leaders so that the curriculum is delivered consistently well.
• The school's work to establish effective assessment strategies is in the early stages of implementation. This means that checks on what pupils know are not as effective as they could be. This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that staff have the skills and expertise required to identify and address pupils' gaps in learning so that they can build on what they know.
• The school does not ensure that staff follow a consistent approach to resolve low-level disruption during lessons. This means that some pupils do not behave as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff have high expectations and follow a consistent approach to support pupils' positive behaviour.
• Pupils lack sufficient opportunities to develop their talents and interests. This means that they are missing out on rich experiences that promote their wider personal development and well-being. The school should ensure that the range of extra- curricular opportunities has the necessary breadth to enable pupils to explore their talents and interests fully.
• There are gaps in the knowledge and skills of the local advisory board. This prevents it from holding the school to account. The trust should ensure that the local advisory board builds its expertise so that it can support and challenge the school more effectively in its strategies for improvement.

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