Penwortham Broad Oak Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 September 2022

Pupils enjoy a nurturing environment that helps everyone feel happy and safe. There is a strong sense of community at Penwortham Broad Oak Primary School. Parents and carers appreciate this. Pupils behave well. They are polite, eager to learn and conduct themselves respectfully around the school. Pupils know that leaders are determined that all pupils will succeed, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils live up to teachers' high expectations. They enjoy their learning and achieve well. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone with respect, regardless of any differences. They know about the harmful effects of name-calling and bullying. Pupils appreciate being able to share their concerns freely. Leaders deal with bullying effectively. Pupils trust that if bullying should happen staff will sort it out quickly. Pupils appreciate taking on roles of responsibility. These include being a school councillor, a sports leader or member of the eco club. Pupils said that these opportunities help them to prepare for the future. Pupils love spending time in their beautiful and well-equipped outdoor areas. There are plenty of activities for pupils to enjoy. Pupils spoke eagerly about the time they spend on outdoor activities in the forest. They enjoy a range of opportunities that develop their academic, creative and sporting prowess.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not check regularly how well pupils understand and remember what they have been taught. This prevents pupils from building their knowledge securely on what they already know. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use their checks on learning effectively to support pupils' next steps in learning.
• In subjects other than mathematics and reading, some pupils struggle to recall some of the knowledge that they have been taught previously. This is because teachers are not providing enough opportunities for pupils to revisit their prior learning. This hampers pupils when learning something new. Leaders should ensure that pupils have opportunities to revisit learning so that knowledge is retained in their long-term memories.
• In a small number of subjects where leaders have made changes to the curriculum, they have not checked on how well these changes are being implemented by all teachers. This means that, in these subjects, leaders are not clear as to how well pupils are achieving. Subject leaders should be suitably equipped to check that the agreed curriculum is being implemented as well as intended to ensure that pupils achieve well across all subject areas.

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