Queen's Park Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 September 2023

Pupils are happy here. The very youngest children, who have only just started school, have settled well and engage confidently with the many activities on offer. Elsewhere, pupils and staff say that they can see and appreciate the initial improvements being made across the school's provision. The expectations of what pupils will learn and how they will behave are increasing following new guidance and training for staff. Staff, many of whom are new to the school, recognise the importance of the current focus on the much-needed improvements. However, many of these are at early stages and there remains variability across the school in how they are being implemented. As a result, pupils do not currently always behave and learn as well as they could. Pupils feel safe. While a few pupils do not always feel listened to when they raise playground issues or bullying, most do feel included and well cared for. Relationships across the school are warm. Pupils move around safely and are typically polite and friendly. Playtimes are a hive of happy activity where older pupils support the younger ones as part of the new 'playground leaders' system. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to play games, exercise and socialise.

What the school should improve

• The knowledge that pupils should learn across the curriculum has not yet been carefully identified or ordered. Teachers do not always know precisely what to teach and when, meaning pupils are not learning important knowledge and skills securely. The school should ensure that a fully sequenced curriculum is in place across all subjects that links learning from early years to Year 6.
• Teaching is not always underpinned by secure pedagogical or subject knowledge. This means that pupils' misconceptions are not always identified and addressed. The school should continue to provide support and training for staff to deliver sequences of learning effectively. This includes making appropriate adaptations to help pupils with SEND achieve well.
• The leadership and oversight of individual subjects is at an early stage. The effectiveness of the curriculum is not routinely checked by subject leaders. The school should continue to support leaders at all levels as they implement the much-needed improvements to the curriculum.
• Governors do not always have sufficient oversight of how resources are allocated and used. This means that they do not evaluate sufficiently well the impact of additional funding. Governors should further develop their oversight and evaluation of the schools' resources to support ongoing improvements in the school.

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