Worksop primary school taking ‘effective action’ towards improving Ofsted rating

Sir Edmund Hillary Primary and Nursery School, on Sunfield Avenue, was rated as ‘requires improvement’ due to the quality of education pupils were receiving, after inspectors from education watchdog Ofsted visited in September 2021.

Details of a follow-up monitor visit have now been published – and the report has praised school leaders and governors for taking ‘effective action’ towards the school becoming ‘good’.

The interim visits do not change an Ofsted grade, but make a judgement to identify whether the school is making the required improvement towards a ‘good’ grade.

In the newly published report Ofsted said senior leaders have taken steps in improving the quality of education, particularly in adjusting the approach to teaching phonics and reading.

The report reads: “Senior leaders are taking decisive steps to improve the quality of education. They have rightly focused on prioritising improvements in early reading.

“They are using external support to help review the school’s curriculum. This has had a particular focus on developing reading across the school.

“Leaders have introduced an additional daily phonics session. In this session, pupils work with teachers on specific sounds identified through assessment. Assessments are accurate.

“These sessions, along with individual interventions, are having a positive impact. Pupils who are behind are catching up with their peers.”

However it did note not all staff picked up on pupils’ mispronunciation of words and some teachers did not ensure all pupils could confidently read the word.

It also noted ‘some of the weaknesses’ in the curriculum identified last September remain.

It states: “Leaders have prioritised developing new medium-term planning for science and geography. However, the issues around the sequencing of learning in the long-term plans have not been addressed.

“Leaders have not thought carefully enough about how pupils will demonstrate they are getting better at science and geography.

“There is not enough guidance given to teachers to ensure they can deliver all the requirements of the national curriculum.

“Pupils speak enthusiastically about their learning during topic time.

“However, many were confused about the subjects they were studying in these lessons.”

Chris Guest, headteacher, said: “We are delighted with the findings of the monitoring visit from Ofsted.

“We are really pleased to see the progress made in the teaching of phonics and it’s great to see the children growing in their learning and reading books with increasing accuracy and pleasure.

“This year we are focused on strengthening individual subjects within the national curriculum and confident that the changes being made will bring even greater focus the children have always enjoyed at Sir Edmund Hillary.”