Priory Park Infant School & Pre-School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 May 2023

Pupils think highly of their school. They never feel lonely. The school's values encourage tolerance and respect. Pupils live this out and are kind to each other. They are polite and listen to one another. Pupils understand that everyone is different and that everyone is valued. They understand that they can learn from their mistakes. Pupils follow school rules, behave well in lessons and enjoy spending time with each other as they learn how to be a good friend. There are a range of clubs for pupils to enjoy. They also benefit from visitors, trips and forest school experiences as part of their curriculum offer. Pupils visit places in their local area, such as the library and the museum, and take part in a local music festival every year. Pupils feel and are safe. Parents agree. Pupils know what bullying is, although it is rare in school. This is because adults talk to them about being kind. Teachers manage the few incidents which happen effectively, and pupils are confident that their worries will be dealt with when they talk to staff. A nurturing learning environment supports pupils well and successfully prepares them for the next stages of the education.

What the school should improve

• In some areas of the curriculum, leaders have not planned sufficient opportunities for teachers to revisit and further develop important knowledge that pupils need. As a result, pupils do not routinely develop a depth of understanding of what they have learned. This means they are not as well prepared in some aspects of their learning. Leaders should review aspects of the curriculum to ensure that pupils regularly revisit areas needed to learn the intended curriculum from Playgroup to Year 2.
• In some areas of the curriculum, leaders are in the process of developing the assessment systems. Currently, staff are not always clear about what pupils must know, and they do not routinely check what pupils do understand and remember. Leaders should continue to establish what pupils should know and further develop systems to check what pupils have learned and remembered, so they are confident that pupils are achieving as well as they should in all areas of the curriculum.

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