Pollington-Balne Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 June 2026

Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. They feel safe, well cared for and supported by staff who help them to do their best. Pupils trust staff and know who they can talk to if they are worried. Pupils enjoy being part of the school community and are proud to belong to it. Children in the early years get off to a positive start. They settle quickly, build warm relationships with staff and learn routines that help them feel secure. Pupils access a broad curriculum and value the help they get in lessons. However, pupils do not achieve as well as they should in some areas of learning. They need further support to develop their writing knowledge. The support that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and lower attaining pupils to access learning are not consistently effective. Some pupils struggle to access the curriculum because their needs are not identified quickly enough, leading to delays in the support that they receive. Pupils behave well. They are polite and well mannered. Bullying is rare and pupils are confident that staff deal with concerns quickly and effectively. The school’s Christian values and the ‘3Rs’ of respect for self, respect for others and respect for the environment underpin pupils’ attitudes and interactions with others. Pupils are proud to take on responsibilities and value the sense of belonging. Pupils understand equality, diversity and respect difference. They recognise that everyone should be treated with respect. Visits to places of worship and work with community partners help pupils appreciate different beliefs, cultures and traditions. Pupils speak confidently about different religions. They enjoy opportunities to contribute to school life such as being reading buddies for younger pupils.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) are identified quickly and ensure effective support is in place to reduce barriers to their learning.
• Leaders should ensure that staff continue to receive training to adapt the curriculum successfully so that pupils with SEND and those with other barriers to their learning access learning and achieve well.
• Leaders should ensure that new staff receive the necessary training and support to teach foundational knowledge in writing effectively, so that pupils have the skills to write well in all areas of the curriculum.
• Leaders should ensure that all teachers identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning quickly so that pupils make secure progress across the curriculum.
• Leaders and governors should ensure that actions to bring about improvement are implemented quickly and effectively so that the school continues to embed the curriculum, teaching across the school is consistent and the support pupils with SEND is secure.

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