ALSTON PRIMARY SCHOOL RETAINS ITS OFSTED RATING
ALSTON Primary school is celebrating retaining its ‘Good’ rating by Ofsted after a recent visit by
inspectors.
The Ofsted team found the school was ‘good’ in all areas, including the quality of education and
leadership and management.
The team found that pupils feel a strong sense of belonging at this small, happy school. They are
confident that staff know them well and will support them with any worries that they may have.
Pupils of all ages were found to interact positively with each other. For example, they delight in
playing group games together at playtimes. Pupils are happy at school and learn in a calm and caring
environment.
The children develop their confidence and leadership skills by taking on roles such as reading
buddies, school councillors and ‘mini police’. They are proud of the impact that they have on others
through these roles. For example, pupils speak about how they keep younger children safe at
playtimes and how they raise money for charities.
The school’s curriculum reflects its high expectations for pupils’ achievement. It has considered
the local, rural context of the school when designing the curriculum to ensure it meets the needs
and interests of the pupils. Pupils enjoy their learning and typically achieve well across a broad range
of subjects. Pupils are polite and respectful towards others.
Staff provide effective support to pupils who struggle to regulate their emotions. Pupils are clear
that everyone is equal and is welcome at their school.
The inspectors considered what the school did well and how it could do better and they found
that the school’s curriculum is broad, ambitious and engaging. In the main, the school has identified
what pupils should learn across the curriculum. However, in some subjects, the essential knowledge
that pupils must know has not been defined clearly enough.
Consequently, at times, pupils’ learning does not build securely, and they struggle to remember
knowledge in the longer term. Staff’s subject knowledge is secure. They benefit from professional
development, which supports them to deliver the curriculum well. Staff use resources, such as
artefacts, to help bring learning to life.
The school makes adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum to enable pupils with special
educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to successfully learn alongside their peers.
The school utilises a range of methods to check how well pupils are learning. Staff review pupils’
work and ask them questions. In the main, these checks on learning provide the school with clear
information about how well pupils understand and remember the knowledge that has been taught.
However, in some subjects, these processes are still being refined and are not as effective as they
could be in identifying, with precision, any gaps in pupils’ learning.
The school works closely with parents and carers and its feeder nursery to gain an understanding
of children’s needs before they start attending the school. This ensures a smooth transition for
children into the Reception class.
So, what did the inspectors believe the school could do to improve? In some subjects, the
essential knowledge that pupils should learn is not clearly identified. As a result, at times, pupils’
knowledge in these subjects does not build securely. The school should ensure that there is clarity
about the essential knowledge pupils should learn in all subjects, so that pupils develop a deep body
of knowledge and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
In some subjects, the school’s checks on learning do not provide information that precisely
identifies how well pupils have learned the curriculum and whether there are any gaps in their
knowledge. This means that gaps in pupils’ understanding are not addressed as quickly as they could
be. The school should strengthen its work to develop its checks on learning so that staff are able to
identify precisely how securely pupils have learned the curriculum.
All-in-all, a definite cause for celebration at Alston.
