St Stephen's Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 April 2026

Pupils benefit from a vibrant and engaging learning environment. They enjoy playing together in the school’s extensive grounds. Pupils know the expectations of their behaviour. Most follow the school’s rules. However, some pupils do not behave as well as they should when unsupervised or outside of the classroom. Their behaviour can become boisterous. Some pupils do not receive the support that they need to help them improve their behaviour. In addition, some pupils experience bullying that is not dealt with effectively. This spoils their enjoyment of school. Nevertheless, most pupils feel safe. Pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, attend school regularly. This is because they receive support to overcome the barriers that cause absence. Children in the early years get off to a positive start. Generally, they gain the knowledge that they need to be ready for their learning in Year 1. Pupils acquire basic skills in English and mathematics. They benefit from helpful support to reduce barriers to their learning. Consequently, by the end of Year 6, pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is close to average. Pupils enjoy learning about different subjects across the curriculum. They show some knowledge of their current work. However, leaders have not made sure that teaching helps pupils to deepen their learning over time in subjects other than English and mathematics. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the wider curriculum. This means they are not as well prepared for secondary school as they should be. Pupils value the opportunities that they have to take on different roles in the school. Their positions of responsibility are wide-ranging and plentiful. These include working as worship wardens, prefects, playground leaders and wellbeing champions.

What the school should improve

• Governors and leaders should develop a culture where parents, carers and pupils are confident that incidents of bullying and behaviour are dealt with swiftly and effectively. They should ensure that pupils consistently behave well and that behaviour sanctions are used appropriately.
• Leaders should review their curriculum content in some subjects so that the most important key concepts and vocabulary are clearly identified. They should ensure that the wider curriculum enables pupils to achieve consistently well.
• Leaders should ensure that staff have the appropriate skills to teach curriculum subjects consistently well. They should ensure that the checks that staff make on pupils' learning support them to achieve as well as they should.
• Governors should ensure that they have an informed and accurate understanding of stakeholders' views and use this information to build positive relationships and to support and challenge all aspects of the school's work effectively.

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