Lower Wortley Primary receives Ofsted praise – and areas to improve

By John Baron

Lower Wortley Primary School has been praised for its personal development of pupils – but needs to improve the quality of education it provides.

Ofsted inspectors visited the school in September and praised pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision at the school.

But they said the school, on Lower Wortley Road, required improvement in its leadership and management and in its quality of education.

The inspector said: “Pupils enjoy learning and are happy at this welcoming school. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school site. Pupils care for each other and positive attitudes are established early in school.”

Pupils encounter a range of high-quality texts to develop their love of reading and talk about their favourite stories and the report praises the school’s ‘life’ curriculum, which ensures that pupils are prepared for the wider world. 

The report said most pupils show good progress through the curriculum and that the school had prioritised curriculum development in core subjects. But it added pupils do not make the same progress through the curriculum in some subjects beyond English and mathematics.

The inspector added: “Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 do not routinely learn enough knowledge to develop a thorough understanding in some wider curriculum subjects.

“In these subjects, pupils do not know enough subject-specific vocabulary to help them explain what they have learned. Pupils struggle to apply their knowledge in these subjects. Pupils’ gaps in knowledge are sometimes not identified and dealt with quickly enough.”

The full report can be found here.

From September 2024, graded inspections do not include an overall effectiveness grade. 

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