Winchelsea Primary School Ruskington

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 April 2023

There are 'golden threads' that run through this school. These threads help pupils to develop their understanding of resilience, perseverance and respect, while improving their self-confidence and self-esteem. They are understood and consistently demonstrated by staff and pupils alike. Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school. They feel happy and safe here. Staff have high expectations of how pupils should behave. Consequently, incidents of poor behaviour, including bullying, are rare. Pupils' pastoral support is strong. There are many adults with whom pupils can share their worries or problems. Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, educational visits and visitors to the school. There are opportunities for pupils to take on roles and responsibilities. They enjoy being mini-police and junior online safety officers. Teachers frequently use the local community and school grounds to help bring learning to life. The eco-club is particularly proud of its allotment and takes its composting and recycling duties seriously. Parents and carers hold overwhelmingly positive views of the school. They typically commented that 'The staff care about the children and in turn the children care about the school. This creates a wonderful learning environment.'

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the precise knowledge and skills that leaders want pupils to learn, and when, have not been thought through in sufficient detail. In some lessons pupils can remember the activity they undertook rather than the exact content that teachers wanted them to learn. Consequently, pupils are not always progressing as well as they might. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum subjects contain the exact knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn, and when, so that pupils successfully build from their early years starting points.
• In some subjects, leaders have not had enough opportunities to monitor how well their area of responsibility is being implemented. Consequently, leaders are unsure how effectively staff are implementing these subjects. Leaders should be given the time and knowledge to monitor the implementation of these subjects to ensure that they are being implemented as intended.

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