Sedley's Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 July 2023

The school's vision of 'love to learn, learn to love' is shared by staff and pupils alike. Pupils are taught how to be kind and polite and they consistently demonstrate these characteristics. They behave very well in class and around the school. If a pupil's behaviour falls short of the expectations that leaders have of them, they are given effective support to improve. This results in a caring and respectful atmosphere between pupils and staff. Pupils are happy at school and they enjoy their time there. Almost all pupils belong to one of the many clubs that are offered. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of other enrichment activities, such as trips out and visitors who come into school. Leaders ensure that these are used to support what the pupils are learning in class. Staff have high expectations for what pupils can do and pupils are now achieving well. Since joining the Aletheia Academies Trust, leaders have focused on improving the curriculum and on how it is taught. Pupils are now confident in discussing what they have learned. They are also taught how to learn and are rewarded for showing their identified learning behaviours.

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects, the important knowledge for each topic has not been clearly identified. This makes it challenging for teachers to plan effective learning activities because the desired learning outcomes are not always clear. Leaders need to ensure that staff are confident about what pupils should learn from each topic.
• Professional development has focused on general teaching strategies and on the core subjects. However, teachers are less confident on the disciplinary differences between foundation subjects and how best to approach the teaching of these subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the opportunity to develop subject-specific knowledge and pedagogy.

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