Shawclough Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 January 2023

Pupils are very happy to attend this school. They have warm and positive relationships with the adults who work with them. Pupils are kind to each other and understand that it is important to respect each other's differences. If bullying occurs, staff act swiftly to resolve issues and offer appropriate support to pupils. Leaders and teachers have high expectations of how pupils should behave and what they can achieve. Pupils work hard in lessons and behave well. They enjoy the opportunity to collect badges when they demonstrate that they have met the 'six drivers' of learning. This helps pupils to develop into independent and reflective learners. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They know that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. Staff in the school know their pupils and families well. As a result, pupils feel safe in school. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to represent their class on the school council. Leaders provide many extra-curricular clubs and sports such as football, dodgeball and gardening clubs.

What the school should improve

• In one or two subjects, leaders have not identified the building blocks of knowledge that they want pupils to learn. As a result, it is difficult for teachers to know what to teach or to check that pupils have learned all that they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear about the knowledge that pupils should know and remember.
• A small number of staff do not have sufficient subject knowledge when teaching early reading. Sometimes, they do not pronounce some of the sounds accurately. Consequently, pupils are not learning to decode, and blend sounds as rapidly as they should. Leaders should ensure that all staff are well trained and consistently use the correct strategies when teaching early reading.

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