Withington Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 July 2023

Pupils come into school each day full of curiosity and excitement about what they are going to learn. They enjoy thinking hard in lessons and learning about new things. Leaders expect all pupils to achieve well. They make sure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), get the support they need. As a result, pupils succeed. Leaders know all pupils and their families well. Pupils, parents and staff all describe Withington Primary School as a family. This can be seen after school, when children of all ages play together in the school's wilderness garden while parents and school staff talk to each other. Like a family, pupils say that they sometimes fall out with each other. They know it is their responsibility to put this right and that their teachers will help them do this. Pupils' learning is enriched by well-chosen trips and visits. This year, pupils have visited a castle, a planetarium, a chocolate factory and a folk history museum to bring to life what they are learning. Leaders make sure that all pupils can go on two residential visits during their time in school. They say this helps pupils to develop independence and resilience as well as to enjoy new experiences.

What the school should improve

• The phonics curriculum is not implemented consistently well. Pupils do not learn pure sounds and do not learn to use decoding techniques consistently. In addition, some pupils move on to learn new sounds before they have mastered the sounds they have already been taught. This prevents some pupils from learning to read fluently as quickly as they might. Leaders should make sure that all staff have the expertise to deliver the phonics curriculum consistently and effectively.
• Leaders have not made sure that all teachers have a thorough understanding of the how the curriculum builds over time in the foundation subjects. This means that teachers are not able to design the sequences of learning that allow pupils to build on their prior knowledge. Leaders should make sure that all teachers understand how the important knowledge is sequenced in the curriculum so that pupils can build on this learning over time.
• Leaders do not monitor the right things thoroughly enough. This means that they do not spot the things that are not working well quickly enough and so do not put in place appropriate actions to improve their work. Leaders should make sure that their monitoring gives them an accurate understanding of the work of the school so that their actions are focused precisely on the areas that need improving.

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