Waterhouses CofE Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 June 2025

Pupils arrive happily at this welcoming school each morning. This enjoyment continues all day. Pupils benefit from the caring relationships that they have with staff and each other. Pupils feel safe. They know there is support around them when they need it. The school has high expectations of pupils' achievements and conduct. Pupils live up to these expectations and achieve well. This starts in the early years, where children get off to a flying start. Pupils of all ages have positive attitudes to learning. They try hard and celebrate each other's achievements. Pupils enjoy learning outside in the spacious and well-maintained outdoor spaces. The playground is a harmonious and friendly place where pupils look after each other. All pupils swim each week in the school's pool. Pupils appreciate the opportunities that the school provides to broaden their experiences. They take part in sporting competitions, visit different places of worship and travel to London to see Parliament at work. Older pupils develop confidence on residential trips where they experience abseiling and archery. All pupils are expected to be responsible and help around the school whether this is tidying up in early years or taking on roles such as worship leaders or school councillors.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum is not adapted sufficiently well enough to support pupils who are ready to move on to more complex activities. As a result, some pupils are not given enough opportunities to deepen their learning. The school should develop opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to undertake learning activities that meet their needs and deepen their understanding.
• The school does not have consistently high enough expectations of pupils' writing across the curriculum. This means some pupils make repeated mistakes with spelling, letter formation and grammar and this hinders their ability to become fluent writers. The school should ensure that expectations for writing are clearly understood and that mistakes are consistently addressed by staff so pupils can express, in writing, their knowledge and ideas fluently.

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