Cherry Fold Community Primary School

Overview

Pupils are happy at this welcoming school, where staff greet them warmly and support new arrivals well. However, attainment in reading, writing, and mathematics has been “significantly below average” for some time, leaving pupils “not as well prepared as they should be” for their next stages. The school’s ambitious vision is not consistently reflected in its provision, with variable curriculum implementation and low attendance affecting learning outcomes.

Strengths

• Pupils benefit from a strong extra-curricular offer, including eco-club and football, which contributes to their “broader development.”
• The school prioritises early reading, with well-trained staff teaching phonics and letter formation from the Nursery.
• Pupils learn about mental well-being, relationships, and safety, knowing “what to do when they have a worry” and how to stay safe online.
• Governors are “considerate of staff’s workload and well-being” and are beginning to challenge the school to ensure systems work effectively.

Areas to improve

• The school must strengthen its work to improve regular attendance, as many pupils are “persistently absent” and miss out on learning.
• Staff need expertise to secure “consistently positive behaviour,” as some pupils lose interest and distract others in lessons.
• Teachers in the early years must provide tasks that allow children to “consolidate their learning,” as current activities often fail to reinforce knowledge.
• The school should ensure staff are equipped to deliver the curriculum consistently and use assessment data to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”