Shotton Primary School

Overview

Shotton Primary School continues to be a good school, providing a positive environment where pupils are happy and relationships are strong. Leaders are actively addressing learning gaps caused by the pandemic, particularly in writing and basic number skills, while maintaining high expectations for behaviour and personal development.

Strengths

• Pupils describe teachers as "kind and thoughtful" and benefit from a "sense of fun" and strong, respectful relationships with staff.
• Curriculum planning in subjects such as mathematics and art is clear, with knowledge "broken down into small pieces that build on what pupils already know."
• Reading instruction is effective, with daily phonics lessons and carefully chosen books helping pupils become "fluent readers, using expression."
• Leaders support pupils’ well-being through initiatives like the "happiness tree" display and opportunities to broaden horizons, including residential trips and charitable work.
• Staff feel supported, with workload managed well and confidence to raise issues directly with leaders.

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, the curriculum is not well sequenced, meaning "essential knowledge... has not been clearly identified," preventing pupils from making connections between new and prior learning.
• Assessment systems in the wider curriculum, such as design and technology and history, are "not precise enough" to identify what pupils know or if knowledge is transferred to long-term memory.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with up-to-date training ensuring staff are confident to raise concerns and log them into the online record-keeping system.