Ofsted 2025

I am delighted to let you know that the report from our recent Ofsted inspection, which took place on the 15th and 16th July 2025, is now available for us to share with you.

The inspectors concluded that Great Alne Primary School is now Requires Improvement in:

• Quality of Education
• Behaviour and Attitudes
• Personal Development
• Leadership and Management
• EYFS

There were many highlights, including:

Relationships between pupils and staff are positive. In classes, pupils try to support one another. When they speak to adults, pupils are proud of their school and talk about school visits with excitement.

The school has started to raise expectations of what pupils can achieve. Where they have done so, pupils achieve well. Lessons are delivered with care and thought. Pupils enjoy learning and are eager to find out new facts and information. Adaptations are planned for pupils that need them, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils generally feel happy and safe at Great Alne. They are polite and consider one another in lessons and on the playground. The school has recently introduced a clear behaviour system.

The curriculum is under development. The school has focused on the key knowledge pupils should learn and in what order. The school has put in place a comprehensive training programme to improve teaching. This is giving teachers the confidence to make the appropriate choices in how to deliver the curriculum effectively.

The school has suitable processes in place to identify pupils with SEND. Staff adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils that need additional support. In most lessons, adaptations are purposeful, and pupils are supported well.

School leaders have recently prioritised attendance at school. They are aware of pupils’ attendance data and seek to improve it. They identify why pupils are absent and seek to support families to return to school. Significant impact is being made for some pupils.

The school has a renewed focus on the personal development of pupils. Most pupils can discuss fairness and equality with interest and thought. They understand about discrimination being wrong and can give examples, such as racism and sexism.

Governors are aware of, and now fulfil, their statutory duties. They challenge and support the school and have been instrumental in bringing about this period of stability. Governors care about the school and are steadfast in continuing the school’s improvement journey

 

Our next steps include:

Attendance is low with many pupils persistently absent. This negatively impacts on pupils’ learning over time. The school should identify and act upon pupils’ and families’ barriers to attending school to ensure that pupils attend regularly and on time.

Adaptions for pupils with SEND are not always followed through. As a result, some provision for pupils with SEND does not meet pupils’ needs well enough. The school should improve the delivery and quality of adaptions to the curriculum so that pupils with SEND learn as well as they should.

Staff do not consistently identify errors or misconceptions in pupil’s learning. This means that pupils’ misconceptions can persist and hinders their ability to build knowledge well. The school should implement a consistent approach to the checking of pupils’ work, so that staff address any errors or misconceptions promptly and effectively.

Staff do not consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils are, therefore, unclear about the expectations and rewards. The school should ensure the behaviour policy is applied consistently so that pupils behave well in lessons and at social times.

The school’s personal development offer does not provide a wide and rich range of experiences for pupils. This means some pupils do not understand key concepts, such as the fundamental British values and protected characteristics. The school should ensure that pupils have the opportunity to learn all that they should to prepare them fully for life in modern Britain.

 

The report has provided us with an external view of the school reflecting the hard work of staff, Governors, children and families. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with parents and carers as we continue to move the school forward, whilst also celebrating and building on the many areas in which our wonderful school has shone through.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff, governors, and all of our parents and carers for their continuing support and feedback. There is much to look forward to in the future of the school, with the children always being at the heart of all we do.

Yours sincerely,
Miss L Williams
Head of School

The most recent Ofsted Report can be found here