Pierrepont Gamston Primary School

Overview

Pierrepont Gamston Primary School continues to be a good school, described as a “big happy family” where the ethos of “Aiming high and caring for all” is evident. Pupils are happy, feel safe, and benefit from a broad curriculum that fosters strong relationships and effective learning behaviours.

Strengths

• Leaders prioritise reading, ensuring children make a “strong start” through frequent checks and focused teaching that helps pupils become “fluent and accurate readers.”
• The curriculum in most subjects has been restructured to ensure pupils learn a “broad range of knowledge and skills in an exciting way,” with clear learning outcomes leading to “precise teaching.”
• Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring learning “matches their needs” and developing essential reading and writing skills.
• Pupils enjoy extensive opportunities to develop leadership skills, such as through the “pupil parliament” and “junior road safety officers,” alongside popular before- and after-school clubs.
• Parents are “overwhelmingly positive,” describing the school as “very caring, organised and wonderful,” while staff appreciate the support for a good work-life balance.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must clearly identify the important knowledge teachers should teach in each design and technology lesson so pupils can “fully develop their understanding over time.”
• Leaders should ensure a “consistent approach” across all subjects to help pupils recall prior learning, preventing them from forgetting important knowledge on occasions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with comprehensive training ensuring staff are alert to concerns and records showing “swift action to involve other agencies when needed.”