William Law CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 March 2023

Pupils at William Law embody the school's Christian values of learning, living and loving together. There is a palpable sense of community. Pupils learn respect. Even those who are less self-confident are notably friendly and polite. There is little bullying. Any occasional issues are resolved well. Pupils look out for each other if anyone gets upset. Pupils get strong support for their well-being, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, they are safe and happy, and they praise their school. Pupils behave well and take pride in their learning. Expectations of what they can learn are high. This is the case from the moment they start in early years. Children quickly learn to self-regulate and concentrate. Consequently, they develop enthusiasm and assurance as learners. In Year 4, for example, pupils can explain how knowing about rivers is important for understanding climate change. Pupils enjoy an exciting range of opportunities. These extend what they learn in lessons. For instance, pupils describe how a trip to Bletchley Park helps them to understand their history better. There is a rich musical culture. Pupils perform regularly, often to a high standard.

What the school should improve

• In a few cases, leaders do not provide teachers with as precise and well-considered information and guidance as they should to support pupils with SEND. As a result, while these pupils access the full curriculum, occasionally, they develop less detailed knowledge than they might. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have the information, guidance and training they need to support pupils with SEND effectively.
• In some instances, leaders have not planned as effectively as they could how pupils will revisit aspects of knowledge that they learned previously. As a result, pupils sometimes have a less clear memory of what they have learned in the longer term. This means that in a few areas they do not develop the rich connections they might between the different strands of learning. Leaders should plan more closely how pupils revisit prior learning, especially from previous years, and ensure that teachers use retrieval well to support pupils to embed learning more deeply in their long-term memory.

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