Ormskirk Asmall Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 November 2023

Pupils are happy at this nurturing school. The school's values, such as kindness and respect, underpin the positive relationships that pupils have with each other and with adults. Pupils are thoughtful and well-mannered. They make everyone feel welcome. Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They are considerate and care for one another. Pupils delight in the array of rewards that they receive for behaving well and working hard. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils enjoy learning and try their best. They typically achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education. Pupils take full advantage of the wide range of enrichment activities that the school provides for them beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils relish taking part in activities such as chess and computer coding club. Pupils in key stage 2 organise lunchtime activities for other pupils, such as drawing and dance clubs. Pupils excel in their various roles and responsibilities. These include acting as school councillors and science ambassadors. Pupils welcome being involved in projects in the local community, such as litter picking. They enjoy performing with the school's choir at residential homes for older people and at the local church. These experiences contribute strongly to pupils' broader development.

What the school should improve

• The school has not given sufficient thought to the essential knowledge that pupils must learn and in what order this should be taught in a small number of subjects and areas of learning in the early years. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. The school should refine its curriculum thinking so that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn and when this should be taught in these few remaining subjects.
• In a small number of subjects, the school's approaches to checking on pupils' knowledge and understanding are underdeveloped. On occasions, this stops teachers from being certain that pupils have gained the knowledge that they should before they introduce new learning. The school should determine how best to check that pupils have learned the intended curriculum. It should also ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to use assessment strategies with confidence and accuracy so that gaps in pupils' learning are identified and tackled quickly.

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