Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 November 2023

Pupils are rightly proud of their school, which is at the heart of the community. Staff and pupils alike are friendly and welcoming. 'Learning, laughter and friendship' are the values that help to promote respectful and caring relationships between staff and pupils. Strong, trusting relationships help pupils to feel safe. The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve. Many pupils meet and exceed these expectations. Pupils love learning. They produce work of a high quality. They reflect on their work and work hard to make improvements. Pupils' behaviour is exceptional. Right from the start in early years, staff teach children how to be responsible for their actions. As pupils progress through the school, they take increasing responsibility for their own behaviour. Pupils are polite and friendly. They support the well-being of other pupils by taking roles of responsibility, such as head boy or head girl. The school's development of pupils' character is exemplary. Extra-curricular activities are carefully considered to support pupils' learning and to develop pupils' talents and interests. 'The bucket list' ensures that all pupils experience a wide range of activities, such as competing in sports competitions, gorge walking and abseiling. These experiences help to build pupils' confidence and resilience.

What the school should improve

• On occasions, the school does not check pupils' learning in foundation subjects well enough. Some pupils find tasks too difficult as assessment does not check their readiness for more complex tasks. The school should work with staff to better use assessment to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge so that learning can be adapted to meet all pupils' needs.

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