Stoke Damerel Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 March 2026

Whatever their starting points, children and pupils become successful readers and writers at this school. Pupils read and write for pleasure and look forward to receiving books as rewards. Pupils describe how the school gives everyone the support they need with their learning. They see that the school has developed provisions, such as The Bird’s Nest, so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the right support. Behaviour around the school and in class is usually settled, allowing for focused learning and enjoyable play. There are clear rules in place. Those who follow the rules consistently are recognised for their efforts. Pupils who struggle to meet the school’s high expectations of behaviour benefit from adaptations and support. There are many examples of pupils with vulnerabilities and significant barriers to their learning who have improved their behaviour over time at this school. The school identifies any bullying quickly and acts decisively to restore pupils’ feelings of safety and emotional wellbeing. Children in the early years show great independence and self-control, for example when practising their numbers up to 5 in small teams. Staff question pupils skilfully, drawing out their learning and providing lots of repetition. Great care is taken to ensure that the gains made in the early years are built on successfully in Year 1. The life of the school is a busy one. The school aims for each and every pupil to have 11 key experiences during their time at the school. This includes, for example, a trip to the local library and a residential visit, such as to Dartmoor. Pupils get involved in leadership teams and committees. A team of play leaders from Year 6 behaves as a well-oiled machine, ensuring safe play that includes everyone at lunchtime.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should strengthen the oversight of the support planned for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils, so that their experiences and outcomes are monitored rigorously.
• Leaders should refine the design of the curriculum, encouraging pupils to further deepen their learning in the subjects of the wider curriculum, including personal, social and health education.
• Leaders should choose from the best information available to them to support their evaluation of what works well and what could be improved for different groups of pupils, and use this to direct their ongoing improvement work.

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