Sherard Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 January 2022

Sherard Primary School is a happy and caring community. Pupils are proud of their school. They talk about their favourite things in school with enthusiasm. They say that they can trust their teachers, that other pupils are kind, and learning is fun. Pupils are polite and confident. They are excellent advocates for the school. Leaders have high standards for pupils. They expect pupils to work hard. Leaders have introduced the 'rainbow road' to reward pupils who do their best. Pupils are delighted when they are rewarded by moving up the rainbow. Older pupils are excellent role models for younger pupils. Relationships between pupils and adults are positive. Adults expect pupils to behave well and pupils expect adults to be kind to them and to help them if they have a problem. Pupils say that bullying does not happen very often, but, if it does, there is always someone in school who will sort it out. Leaders have created a culture of high aspirations for pupils that goes hand-in-hand with care for them. The vast majority of parents and carers are positive about the school. One parent told inspectors, 'The kindness and enthusiasm of staff is second to none.'

What the school should improve

• Leaders regularly check on the progress that pupils make in English and mathematics. This is not as well developed in science and the foundation subjects. Leaders have not implemented a systematic approach to assessment that is consistently used by teachers. This means that teachers are not always rigorously checking what pupils know. Leaders should now ensure that an effective and time-efficient assessment system is developed for science and foundation subjects. This will allow teachers to check what pupils know and remember from prior learning.
• Leaders do not systematically check the behaviour records that staff keep. As a result, leaders are not analysing what records are telling them about pupils' behaviour in school. Leaders need to include the analysis of behaviour records as a part of their regular monitoring activities. This analysis will enable them to spot patterns in pupils' behaviour and address any issues that are identified.

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