St Edward's Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 October 2024

The school aspires for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. However, the school's ambition for pupils is not fully realised. The school has recently revised much of the curriculum. The effectiveness of the delivery of this new curriculum is variable across the different subjects. Pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be. Pupils are happy at school. They have positive relationships with staff, which helps them to feel valued. Pupils know who to speak to if they are concerned or worried. They are confident that trusted adults will keep them safe. The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils behave well and work hard in lessons. Where teaching is most effective, pupils enjoy their learning. The school has not thought carefully enough about its approach to promoting pupils' personal development. Pupils do not benefit from high-quality opportunities to learn about heathy lifestyles or fundamental British values. They are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. However, pupils talk proudly about their leadership roles as mental health leaders or eco commute members. Pupils develop their talents and interests as they access clubs such as cross-stitch, choir and American football.

What the school should improve

• The school has not ensured that pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read, especially in key stage 1, receive appropriate support to improve their reading. As a result, some pupils do not have the knowledge and skills that they need to read with fluency and confidence. This hinders them from accessing the full curriculum. The school should ensure that pupils receive the support that they need to overcome gaps in their phonics knowledge so that they can catch up quickly with their peers.
• In some subjects, teachers do not deliver the curriculum as intended. This hampers the learning of some pupils, including pupils with SEND. The school should ensure that staff deliver the curriculum consistently well so that pupils build secure subject knowledge.
• The school's assessment strategies are not used effectively in order to check on pupils' learning. This means that some pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff identify and address gaps in pupils' learning so that pupils build a secure body of knowledge over time in each subject.
• The school has not ensured that pupils learn the important concepts that they need to be prepared for life in modern Britain. Some pupils do not have a secure understanding about aspects of a responsible life in modern Britain, such as healthy eating and understanding people in society who are different to themselves. The school should ensure that pupils have the knowledge that they need to be well prepared for life beyond the school.

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