Pensans Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 April 2024

Pensans has a highly inclusive ethos. It cares well for its pupils. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are passionate about their learning. They speak eagerly about their favourite lessons and how much they enjoy school. Nevertheless, the quality of education is not good. The school has endured a turbulent period of staffing instability. This, combined with curriculum changes and the effects of the pandemic, means too many pupils have left without the knowledge and skills needed for secondary school. New leadership has started to address these issues. However, there is still some way to go. Pupils' behaviour has improved significantly in recent times. This is because the school has established a new behaviour system that both staff and pupils understand and follow. Staff skilfully support those pupils who find these high expectations a challenge. This includes those in the additional resource base. Pupils say adults deal quickly with any bullying that occurs. Like the academic curriculum, much of the work to support pupils' personal development needs further improvement. However, the school strives to give pupils new experiences to broaden their horizons, such as participating in a street music project.

What the school should improve

• In the early years, staff do not plan activities that precisely address gaps in children's knowledge and skills. As a result, some children's gaps widen and so they are not well prepared for Year 1. The trust needs to train staff to precisely identify gaps in children's knowledge and skills and plan purposeful tasks that help them to learn well across all areas of learning.
• In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is not well sequenced and need further refinement. Consequently, pupils do not build or connect their knowledge well enough. The trust needs to ensure that curriculum plans are well-sequenced and ambitious so that pupils' knowledge builds well over time.
• On some occasions, teachers do not give pupils work that matches the intent of the curriculum or takes into account what pupils, including those with SEND, already know. As a result, pupils do not deepen their knowledge well. The trust needs to support staff to have the subject knowledge to provide work well matched to both pupils' needs and the intent of the curriculum.
• The personal development curriculum is not fully established. It is not clear what pupils should learn or experience and when. Consequently, pupils do not have a secure understanding of different cultures or of British values. The trust should develop a carefully considered, high-quality programme beyond the academic to enhance pupils' broader development.

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