Swallowfield Primary

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 July 2025

Pupils are proud to be part of this welcoming and inclusive school. They enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic about what they learn. Behaviour is calm and respectful. Pupils enjoy celebrating each other's achievements through awards, such as house points and 'star of the day'. They feel happy, safe and well cared for. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and supportive. Pupils live the school values and demonstrate respect, kindness and responsibility regularly. Right from early years, the school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. In Nursery and Reception, children explore stimulating and engaging activities that support their early learning and development. Pupils build on this secure start as they move through the school. They learn to read well and develop secure foundations of knowledge across the curriculum. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils particularly value the wide range of opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. These include residential trips and clubs, such as choir, cricket and art. Pupils are encouraged to be active, responsible citizens. They are proud of their roles in school life, including as anti-bullying ambassadors and members of the school parliament.

What the school should improve

• The school's approach to teaching writing does not help some pupils to develop their handwriting and use of spelling, punctuation and grammar as well as they could. This means that pupils' written work sometimes lacks fluency, or they do not express their ideas as effectively as they might. The school should ensure that all teachers support pupils effectively to produce high-quality writing.
• The school has not ensured that teachers check carefully enough what pupils know or the quality of work they produce in some foundation subjects. Consequently, some teaching is not adjusted to ensure that pupils acquire the knowledge that they need. Some pupils do not understand how to improve the quality of their work. The school should ensure that teachers use their checks on learning effectively to adapt and inform future teaching, so that pupils learn well and are helped to produce high-quality writing in all subjects.

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