Wittersham Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 June 2025

Wittersham Church of England Primary School is a welcoming and highly nurturing environment. From their arrival in Reception, children make a happy and positive start to their education. Pupils' needs are very well understood and catered for and, as a result, across the school, pupils achieve well. Pupils benefit particularly well from the recently established nurture provision, 'The Orchard'. Pupils value having a safe space where they can be calm and manage their emotions. In 'The Orchard', pupils receive expert support to help them catch up on their learning. Many parents and carers recognise the high- quality support their children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive. Pupils consistently meet the high expectations that staff have of their behaviour and attitudes. They are polite, kind and respectful. As a result, positive relations are a real strength in the school. Pupils feel safe, heard and cared for. They know that staff take their concerns and ideas seriously. Pupils welcome the opportunities they are given to be active and responsible members of their community. Through the school council and eco- council, pupils model their leadership skills by helping to make positive changes to the school, such as deciding on new playground equipment.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, the intended learning is not clear. When this is the case, activity choices do not support pupils in focusing on the most important knowledge they need to learn. The school should ensure that teaching activities consistently link to the intended learning so that pupils have sufficient opportunity to develop their understanding of important knowledge.
• Systems to check pupils' understanding are not used consistently. As a result, some pupils are not building on the learning they are already confident with, because their starting points have not been considered when setting tasks. Similarly, misconceptions can sometimes be missed. The school should ensure that checks on understanding happen regularly and consistently so that activity choices match where pupils are in their learning.
• Opportunities for pupils to widen their understanding of diversity are not as well developed as they could be. As a result, some pupils have insufficient awareness of cultures and issues beyond their local community. The school should ensure that its plans to widen diversity within the curriculum, and through enrichment opportunities, are put into action swiftly.

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