Winmarleigh Church of England Primary School

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that aspects of the school’s work “may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection,” triggering a future graded inspection. While pupils are “happy and eager to learn” in a “calm and harmonious environment,” the report highlights a decline in educational quality and low expectations for achievement.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe due to “warm and caring relationships” with staff and know who to approach with worries.
• The school has introduced a “more ambitious curriculum” with logical sequencing in many subjects.
• Early reading is prioritised, with well-trained staff ensuring struggling pupils receive necessary support to become “confident and fluent readers.”
• Pupils benefit from a “wide range of trips and visits,” including residential experiences and visits to places of worship.
• Staff feel “valued” and the school considers their workload and well-being when making decisions.

Areas to improve

• Governors must establish processes to gain a “precise understanding of the quality of education” and oversee improvement strategies.
• The school must raise expectations for pupil achievement, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to address learning gaps.
• Staff need better methods to check pupil understanding and address misconceptions to ensure knowledge is learned in “sufficient depth.”

Safeguarding

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