Pott Shrigley CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 July 2024

Pupils are happy at this friendly and welcoming school. Everyone is made to feel like a valued member of the school community. The school has ensured that pupils' well-being and safety are priorities. There is a culture of thoughtfulness and respect between all members of this small school. Pupils are polite and courteous to each other, towards their teachers and to visitors. In lessons, they typically concentrate on their learning. They are keen to do well. Pupils are active in their local community. For example, they have strong links with the church. Pupils attend church frequently and take part in the services. Pupils also support their local area through the eco club. They have recently planted trees locally to support the environment. The school has undergone recent and much needed change since the new headteacher was appointed. As a result, the school's expectations for pupils' achievement are higher. Pupils, including those in the early years, are beginning to benefit from a more ambitious curriculum. However, in some curriculum subjects, there is more work to do. In some instances, teachers do not deliver the curriculum as the school intends. This means that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), occasionally do not gain the important skills and knowledge that they need to be successful.

What the school should improve

• Governors do not have effective systems in place to give them sufficient oversight of the school's curriculum development and pupils' achievement. This means that they are not able to support or challenge the school as well as they could. The school should continue to develop effective policies and procedures so that governors have the information needed to hold the school effectively to account.
• In some subjects, the knowledge which the school wishes pupils to learn is not identified clearly enough. This means that teachers are unsure of what pupils should learn. They also do not implement these curriculums as the school intends. The school should clarify what knowledge it wishes pupils to learn in these subjects and ensure that this is implemented well.
• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively to identify what pupils have retained from their previous learning. In these subjects, including in phonics, teachers are unsure of what knowledge pupils have. They are unable to effectively support pupils to build up a rich body of knowledge. The school should ensure that assessment strategies are used consistently to identify what children know in order to support their future learning.
• The school does not evaluate how effective the strategies used to improve some pupils' attendance are. This means that it does not have a complete understanding of whether these strategies are having the desired impact. The school should evaluate its actions more closely so that pupils' overall attendance improves over time.

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