Pillowell Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 October 2023

There is a strong sense of community in this small primary school. Staff know children and families well. Pupils are proud of their school. Older pupils enjoy being buddies with younger children. This helps them to learn about responsibility and being positive role models. The school has been through a period of significant change and is proud of the improvements it has made. However, curriculum changes are not securely in place yet. This means pupils do not learn well. Most pupils behave sensibly. They understand the school rules and expectations. Most classrooms are calm and purposeful. Sometimes, a small number of pupils disrupt the learning of others. When this happens, staff are usually quick to intervene. Most pupils are confident that there are adults in school who they can talk to if they have a worry. Most pupils say that they feel safe. They learn how to keep themselves safe in school and in the community. For example, they learn about bike safety and safety around dogs. Pupils appreciate a range of extra-curricular opportunities. These include clubs, competitive sports activities, attending Young Voices and residential visits. These help children to develop talents and interests.

What the school should improve

• The school does not have a secure understanding of how well the curriculum is implemented across all subjects. Staff do not yet have the training they need to deliver the intended curriculum as planned. As a result, pupils do not have a secure recall and understanding of what they have learned. The school needs to ensure further consistency in curriculum implementation so that pupils know more and remember more, including in the long term.
• Phonics training has not been prioritised. This means that pupils do not always have the support that they need. As a result, some pupils fall behind in their reading and do not read accurately and fluently. The school should ensure that pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they know, or that staff have the training that they need in order to support those pupils who have fallen behind to catch up.
• Assessment is not yet well established and embedded. As a result, teachers do not check what pupils know and remember and use this to inform next steps in learning. The school must ensure that assessment leads to pupils building knowledge and that gaps are addressed effectively.

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