Thorpe Primary

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 June 2023

Pupils of all ages benefit from the warm and nurturing culture in the school. Older pupils take care of younger pupils and help them out, for example when they are playing outside. Staff insist that pupils try their best in all that they do. Staff are caring to pupils and encourage them in a positive way. Staff and pupils have a thorough understanding of the 'behaviour blueprint'. This sets out what leaders expect of pupils and what happens if they do not follow it. Many pupils have improved their behaviour because of these clear expectations. This has also helped to reduce bullying issues. If bullying does happen, then staff sort it out quickly. Leaders want all pupils to learn a wide variety of subjects. They have brought in plans for how this will happen. Pupils enjoy their learning across these subjects. Leaders know that some subjects need continued development, particularly in how well staff teach them. Pupils enjoy the variety of sport clubs and activities that are on offer. They are proud of their achievements at local competitions. Pupils take care of their school environment and enjoy helping out, such as in looking after the school garden. All the school staff, including lunchtime staff, know the pupils well and are proud of the school.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not break down what pupils need to be able to know and do into sufficiently small component parts. Sometimes pupils struggle to understand what they need to do to be successful and teachers do not spot this quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear on the component knowledge needed in each lesson and have the subject knowledge to model and explain it successfully.
• The phonics programme is still quite new and some staff do not use the pedagogical strategies required by leaders or identify misconceptions swiftly enough. Staff sometimes do not model how to decode a word successfully or miss where pupils are making errors. Leaders should continue to provide the phonics training to all staff so that they teach the programme accurately and in the same way as each other.

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