Sherborne Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 January 2026

Pupils at Sherborne Primary enjoy being part of this caring community. They feel they belong and know they are safe. Pupils are known well as individuals and their barriers to learning are quickly identified. Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. However, pupils are not learning and remembering the curriculum as well as they should. The quality of pupils' written work and their depth of mathematical understanding are not as high as their reading accuracy and fluency. The school's published outcomes reflect this. The school does not identify weaknesses in pupils' handwriting quickly. This means pupils are not supported to rapidly improve. While leaders' actions have led to improvements for the youngest children, the oldest pupils are still not well prepared for their next stage of education. Pupils behave well and appreciate that they can learn without disruption. They trust adults with any worries. On the rare occasion bullying happens, pupils confidently report this so incidents are resolved very quickly. Pupils know why it is important to attend school regularly and typically do so. When pupils and families need additional help to overcome barriers to attendance, the school pastoral team is ready to support. This close partnership working with families is a strength of the school. The school ensures that pupils are well prepared for adult life. The school encourages pupils to be ambitious for their future through careers events. Pupils understand their role as citizens of the school and are keen to take on additional responsibilities. The student council, eco-committee and the Sherbean Café are some of the ways the pupils develop leadership skills. A range of extra-curricular activities, such as theatre trips, sport and music, help pupils to discover their talents and interests. Pupils learn about the importance of respect and caring for others through inter-generational community projects. This brings the personal development programme to life for pupils.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded across the school so that all groups of pupils securely know and remember the intended learning.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers use formative assessment to swiftly identify and address gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics so that pupils achieve well and are prepared for their next stage in education.
• Leaders should ensure that their strategy to improve pupils' transcription and punctuation is having the intended impact on improving the quality of pupils' written work, particularly for those who are disadvantaged.

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