THE DOWNS Primary school has been told it “Requires Improvement” following an Ofsted inspection.

The following recommendations were made:

The school’s curriculum is at an early stage of implementation in some subjects. Leaders have not addressed the inconsistencies in teaching and so pupils do not learn and remember the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that their monitoring of the curriculum accurately identifies areas of weakness and informs staff training to rectify these.

Assessment does not identify gaps in pupils’ learning in a timely way. Therefore, some pupils do not receive the support they need to catch up with their learning quickly enough. Leaders should train teachers in how to identify pupils’ gaps in learning to inform the future teaching and additional support that pupils receive.

Some staff do not possess the expertise needed to teach early reading well. As a result, some pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that all staff are trained to teach and support pupils in early reading, particularly those pupils who require additional support to catch up.

Provision and support for pupils with SEND is not as good as it needs to be. Some pupils’ support is not well matched to their needs where plans have yet to be updated, while other pupils’ support has been updated on plans but is not in place in the way leaders intend. Leaders should ensure that staff understand their systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND. This includes the expectation that specified support is in place and monitored closely to ensure that pupils are receiving the support they require.

The full report can be found here

The chief executive of the Passmores Learning Community Trust said: ““During our inspection it was good to hear the inspectors recognise the improvements that have been made under the new leadership of Mr Calderwood. 

We were all hoping that they would not visit us until the summer when the changes being made would have had a time to show clear impact. 

“As for all schools, there is always things to work on, but it was heartening to hear that what we have been focussing on is right. 

“The staff, led by Mr Calderwood and his team, are incredibly passionate and committed to the community and will continue to work hard to meet the needs of every young person in their care.”