Probus Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Pupils enjoy school. They are happy and proud to be part of the Probus community. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve in English and mathematics. This is reflected in pupils' published outcomes. However, this is in stark contrast to parts of the wider curriculum. In some subjects, the school does not expect enough of pupils. Consequently, pupils do not learn well across some of the curriculum. Typically, pupils behave positively. In lessons, they are engaged and enthusiastic about their learning. They listen well to each other when discussing their ideas. If bullying occurs, the school deals with this promptly. However, sometimes the school does not communicate effectively enough with its parents and carers about how bullying and other issues are resolved. Mostly, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their need identified accurately. Sometimes, though, support is less well-considered. Where this is the case, pupils, including those with SEND, do not get the precise help they need to help improve their behaviour. The school helps to break down barriers for disadvantaged pupils. For example, it ensures they have representation on the school council. This gives them a voice in the school.

What the school should improve

• In some wider subjects, teachers give tasks to pupils that does not support them to learn the intended curriculum well. As a result, pupils do not secure a deep understanding of concepts, and they are unable to recall their prior learning well. The trust needs to ensure that teachers give meaningful, high-quality work to pupils that supports them to achieve the knowledge and skills outlined in the school's curriculum.
• In the wider subjects, teachers do not use assessment effectively. They do not check for gaps in knowledge or make adjustments to future learning well enough. The trust needs to ensure that teachers use assessment precisely to check pupils' knowledge and adapt learning so that pupils build on what they know, and any gaps are addressed.
• The school does not have a strong oversight for some of its provision to help pupils with SEND. It does not carefully check the impact of its support for pupils and make further adaptations accordingly. The trust needs to ensure that it checks the impact of its provision for all pupils with SEND so that these pupils have the appropriate support to help them succeed.
• Some staff and parents have mixed views about how their concerns are addressed. As a result, some relationships in the school are not positive and some concerns remain unresolved. The school and trust should ensure that the school addresses legitimate concerns and promotes positive relationships between stakeholders.

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