Thrussington Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 December 2023

'Our school is like one big family', said one pupil who captured the sentiments of many. Pupils love coming to this school. Relationships are warm and trusting. Pupils say that they feel happy and safe. They know that they are well cared for. The school is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers are highly supportive. One parent, typical of many, said: 'Our children always have a smile on their face and have something positive to tell us every day.' The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including sports, arts and music. These are complimented by many school trips and visits that enhance the school's curriculum. The school ensures that all pupils benefit from these experiences, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership roles for sports, art, the school's well-stocked library and the school council. Pupils learn how to make positive contributions to society, and do so. Staff typically have high expectations of behaviour and what pupils can achieve. Pupils attend and behave well. Most pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics. The quality of pupils' written work is, however, variable between different subjects.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of foundation subjects, assessment is not fully developed. This means that teachers are not always clear about what knowledge and skills they should be checking so that all pupils build their knowledge securely over time, particularly when responding to detailed written tasks. The school should ensure that all staff know how best to help pupils develop their knowledge and understanding securely over time so that they achieve as well as they can, particularly in writing.
• Staff expectations of what some pupils can achieve are not consistently high across all year groups, in the school's mixed-age classes. On occasion, some pupils do not sustain high enough levels of focus and concentration, particularly when learning new or complex ideas. When this happens, low-level disruption sometimes occurs that distracts other pupils from their learning. The school should ensure that all staff have the skills they need to sustain consistently high expectations in all year groups so that all pupils learn well.

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