A school in west Dorset has met the expected standard in all areas, according to a recent Ofsted report, but the category of 'curriculum and teaching' was put as 'needs attention'.
Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School in Winterbourne Abbas was said to have proud pupils, whose behaviour consistently met leaders' high expectations.
It was inspected, one of the first in the county to be inspected under Ofsted's new framework, on Tuesday, January 27 and Wednesday, January 28 this year and the report published on Monday, April 20. The lead inspector was His Majesty's Inspector Thomas Brewer.
Overall, the school - which has 60 pupils - is meeting the expected standard in the key areas of achievement, attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance and personal development and wellbeing.
But the report said that in 'curriculum and teaching', checks on pupils' learning were "not used effectively" to identify gaps.
"Teachers do not address pupils' gaps in knowledge swiftly enough through subsequent teaching. Inaccuracies in pupils' knowledge, therefore, persist. This includes basic errors in letter and number formation," stated the report.
Across the wider curriculum, while pupils can successfully recall key knowledge in some subjects, this is not consistent across subjects and year groups, it added.
Where a category 'needs attention', the expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.
The report noted, however, that school leaders recognised that action was required to improve the checks on pupils' understanding and that leaders also ensured that the curriculum pupils follow was "broad and designed well".
The report also said that pupils were proud of their school, enjoyed it, and attended well.
"Pupils respect one another and the adults who care for them. Pupils' behaviour consistently meets leaders' high expectations," it said.
The report also said that pupils were "well prepared" for their next stage in education and that typically, published outcomes in the national multiplication tests showed pupils achieve well.
Leaders also identify and understand the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as well as other disadvantaged pupils, said the report.
It also praised the school for prioritising children’s early years' verbal and written communication development.
Among the next steps, the report said leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment information effectively to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge and should secure pupils’ foundational skills.
Leaders should ensure that leadership at all levels has the capacity to be responsive, when needed, in order to secure timely improvement, it added.
The school noted that Ofsted describes ‘expected’ as a high standard and showed the school was doing "everything it should be doing, and the children are receiving everything they need and deserve".
Headteacher Emma Sleightholme said the Ofsted report was a "terrific achievement" for the school community.
"We are really proud that Ofsted inspectors recognised the positive ethos of the school, where pupils live out the Christian values of Respect, Kindness and Courage.
"They are happy, cared-for and supported to thrive both academically and personally. Our aim is for every child to receive a high-quality education and achieve their full potential."
On the aspects of curriculum and teaching which were highlighted, she said: "These were priority areas for the school before the inspection and improvements were underway as part of our continuous development.
"We are confident that the positive impact of this work is already being seen in the continuing high achievement of our pupils."
Jan Griffiths, Chair of Governors said: "This shows that the school is doing everything right to make our school a place for our children to learn and to thrive.
"Inspectors clearly recognised that the headteacher and her team are striving to provide high-quality teaching and make sure all the children can succeed. We are delighted at this very positive report."
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