Churchwood Primary School

Overview

Churchwood Primary Academy is described as a school that “sits at the heart of the local community,” where pupils act responsibly and staff maintain high expectations. The report highlights a strong culture of kindness and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), noting that leaders understand the barriers many pupils face.

Strengths

• Personal development is praised as “Outstanding,” with pupils learning about equality and diversity through a robust personal, social and health education programme.
• Early years provision is rated “Outstanding,” featuring well-planned learning environments and skilled specialist support for speech and language therapy.
• Staff are “particularly adept at providing for pupils with SEND,” benefiting from shared expertise across the multi-academy trust.
• Core subjects such as mathematics, English and science are identified as strengths, with leaders prioritising the development of secure reading skills.
• Governance arrangements are effective, with the trust providing strong support for finance, human resources and policy updates.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must address inconsistencies in the implementation of the new phonics programme, as some staff lack the confidence and expertise to teach it effectively.
• Long-term planning and sequencing in some curriculum subjects, such as music and modern foreign languages, require further development to ensure learning builds securely on prior knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a strong culture where staff know what to do if they have concerns and work closely with external agencies to support pupils and families.