Pathfinder CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 June 2024

Pupils are happy and safe at Pathfinder. Staff are positive role models. They teach pupils how to be respectful and kind. This is reflected in the way that pupils conduct themselves in lessons and at playtimes. Overall, pupils behave very well. Expectations for what pupils can achieve have risen considerably over the past year. Pupils' knowledge is improving thanks to the improved curriculum in Years 1 to 6. Classrooms are well organised and positive places in which to learn. In the early years, change has been slower. Children are starting to benefit from the changes the school and trust have made. However, there is more to do to ensure that children in the early years are as well prepared for Year 1 as they should be. Some older pupils learn to be responsible through taking on leadership roles such as sports or play leaders. This gives pupils a chance to contribute to wider school life. Pupils enjoy the extra activities they can attend. They value being members of the choir or representing the school at sporting events. These help to support pupils to develop some of the talents and interests they have.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum for early years does not identify clearly how knowledge will build from Nursery through to the end of Reception. This means staff do not routinely plan learning that enables children to secure the knowledge they need. This includes for children with SEND. The school should ensure that the curriculum in early years clearly identifies how children will build their knowledge over time. The school should also ensure that staff have the training and guidance they need to teach the curriculum well, so that children are better prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• In a few subjects, the school has not identified or planned clearly enough the important knowledge pupils will learn. This makes it hard for staff to plan and teach lessons that build on pupils' prior knowledge as effectively as in other subjects. The school should ensure that work to identify the important knowledge that pupils should learn in these subjects is completed.
• In some instances, staff do not identify or address some of the gaps in knowledge that pupils have. This means these gaps and pupils' misconceptions persist. The school should ensure that staff have the training and guidance they need to check, with precision, pupils' understanding in lessons, so that all staff address misconceptions or gaps in pupils' knowledge swiftly.

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