Mark First and Pre-School CE Academy

Overview

The report states that the school has "high ambitions" for its pupils, but these are "not fully realised," resulting in "gaps in their learning" and pupils not achieving as well as they should. While the school is described as "welcoming and inclusive" with good behaviour and personal development, the quality of education and leadership require improvement. The inspection highlights that pupils are not yet "fully prepared for the next stage of their education."

Strengths

• Pupils are "happy and safe" and enjoy "positive relationships with staff and each other."
• Attendance is strong due to the school’s "high expectations," and most pupils behave well.
• Reading is a clear priority; the school "quickly identifies pupils who fall behind" and provides timely support.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are "supported well and included in the life of the school."
• Staff feel "valued and proud" to work at the school, appreciating support for their workload and well-being.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in some subjects lacks clarity on "essential knowledge," meaning pupils do not build sufficient depth of understanding over time.
• Assessment is not used with enough precision to identify and close knowledge gaps, limiting what pupils know and remember.
• Early years staff do not consistently engage in "high-quality interactions," impacting children’s language development and readiness for Year 1.
• The behaviour policy is not applied routinely by all staff, allowing a small minority of pupils to disrupt learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."