Tortworth Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 July 2026

Pupils at Tortworth Primary School enjoy school. They trust adults and know that they are safe. Staff know pupils well as individuals. Staff identify pupils’ barriers to learning and/or wellbeing and provide help to overcome these. Leaders have recently introduced a new curriculum and raised expectations for what pupils should know. However, their previous inconsistent classroom experiences have resulted in gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. As a result, the quality of pupils’ written work and their depth of mathematical understanding are not as high as their reading accuracy and fluency. While leaders are providing pupils with the support they need to catch up, this work is recent and the full impact is not yet evident. Pupils have respectful relationships with adults and each other. Pupils in Reception are warmly welcomed into the school. The clear school rules mean that pupils typically behave well and bullying is never tolerated. Leaders have raised expectations for regular attendance with pupils and their families. Attendance is starting to improve; however, it remains below that of pupils nationally. Leaders are clear that too many pupils are persistently absent from school. This is impacting on how well they achieve. Pupils are proud of their school. They relish the recently introduced student leadership roles. For example, play leaders act as positive role models, including everyone in activities at lunchtimes. Pupils understand why the school values are important both in the school and the wider community. For example, they recognise why respect for others and responsibility for their actions are part of being a positive citizen in Britain. The school, with the support of the trust, has widened the range of trips and clubs available to pupils. This helps pupils to find new talents and interests such as learning to play golf or performing in the choir.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that they continue to address the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding so that pupils in all phases have the skills that they need to be ready for their next stage of education.
• Leaders should ensure that teaching is of a consistently high quality across all subjects and phases.
• Leaders should ensure that their attendance strategy is quickly improving attendance and reducing persistent absence of pupils so that they attend well.
• Leaders should ensure that the Early Years provision enables children to make a positive start to school by securing solid foundations in key skills such as letter formation, reading and listening skills.

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