Two Waters Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Being a pupil at Two Waters means being part of a caring and inclusive community. Everyone is encouraged to thrive and reach their potential. Pupils feel safe and valued. This is because there is a supportive environment, where everyone's differences are celebrated. For example, the school recently put on a 'paralympic roadshow', which enabled pupils with special educational needs and/or physical disabilities (SEND) to shine. Pupils benefit from a broad and ambitious curriculum. This includes a strong focus on developing their love of reading. Older pupils take great pride in their roles as reading ambassadors. They help inspire younger pupils to develop a love of books. While pupils achieve very well in reading and mathematics, they do not always get the support needed to develop their handwriting skills effectively. Pupils behave well. This is because they understand the school's expectations and look forward to getting house points for positive behaviour. They are confident that any issues, including perceived bullying, are addressed promptly and effectively. Children in early years enjoy a stimulating and nurturing environment. There are many interesting activities to explore. However, they do not always have enough suitable opportunities to develop their writing skills.

What the school should improve

• The school has not ensured that its programme for developing pupils' handwriting is effectively structured from the early years. As a result, some pupils advance to more complex writing without fully consolidating essential transcription skills, such as letter formation, word spacing, and alignment. The school needs to establish a clear approach to handwriting development that strengthens transcription skills from the early years, ensuring pupils have a solid foundation for more advanced writing.
• The school is redeveloping the early years curriculum. As such, in some areas of learning it is not fully clear what children should learn. Certain activities in early years do not develop children's knowledge and skills effectively, particularly in writing and transcription. The school needs to ensure that the intended knowledge is carefully planned and sequenced, with activities consistently supporting the development of these skills.

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