Wittering Primary School Ofsted report says teaching requires improvement
A school has been told to improve its teaching following an inspection.
Wittering Primary School was visited by a government Ofsted inspection team over two days in June, before the start of the summer holidays.
Two areas were found to be in need of additional work to make it a better school - the leadership and management of teachers, and the quality of teaching itself.
Other areas, including the behaviour and personal development of pupils, and the Early Years provision at the school, were rated to be 'good'.
In her report, lead inspector Judith Sumner said: "In some subjects, including English and mathematics, leaders’ curriculum thinking does not identify precisely the knowledge that pupils should learn and in what order.
"This means that sometimes important subject knowledge is missed out or not taught in depth."
The report recommended subject leaders are given the time and support they need to check how well pupils are learning, and to 'inform their improved plans'.
Charlotte Blake became headteacher earlier this month, having started at the school in 1999 as a newly qualified teacher.
She said: "The inspection team identified many areas of strength, not least in relation to safeguarding, provision in the Early Years, support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, personal development and behaviour of pupils, that said, we are incredibly disappointed by the overall outcome judgment.
"Under new headship, our leadership team is 100 per cent committed to implementing the recommendations in the report and we are already beginning to tackle the key areas identified for improvement.
"The school has a clear action plan in place to address the key improvement areas and is working effectively alongside our governing body and with the support of our Soke Education Trust schools. We will remain fully focused on our key priorities."
Wittering Primary School had 328 pupils on the roll and was under a different headteacher at the time of the summer term inspection.
It will be reinspected to see if the changes implemented in the light of the report have improved teaching.
Wittering Primary School has fluctuating pupil numbers because as well as serving Wittering and the surrounding villages, it is next to the RAF base, which can see significant personnel change in a short space of time.
