Grimley and Holt CofE Primary School

Inspection of Grimley and Holt CofE Primary School Grimley, Worcester, Worcestershire WR2 6LU

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since January 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 13 and 14 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Grimley and Holt CofE Primary school and attend well. They describe the school as friendly and welcoming. Pupils behave well. This begins in early years, where children quickly learn and follow daily routines. The majority of pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils are polite and well mannered.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school and learn how to stay safe online. They feel confident to share any worries with trusted adults in school. Pupils know the school’s values well and demonstrate these in their interactions. Positive relationships are a feature of this inclusive school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ curiosity. They have enquiring minds and enjoy learning. The school is ambitious for pupils’ achievements. In some subjects, such as mathematics and reading, pupils achieve well. However, in others, pupils’ recall of their learning is less secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports pupils’ personal development. Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles. For example, the e-safety team leads activities in classes to teach pupils how to stay safe online. However, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum identifies the knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. It is designed to capture pupils’ interests. It achieves this aim as pupils are keen to learn and work hard in lessons. The curriculum sets out the sequence of learning so that pupils build knowledge over time.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers present learning clearly. They choose interesting themes that engage pupils well. However, in some subjects, teachers do not ensure pupils know what subject they are learning. For example, pupils find it difficult to distinguish between their learning in history and geography. This makes it hard for them to make links with their prior learning and hinders their ability to build knowledge securely over time.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils’ knowledge is more developed in some subjects than in others. For example, in mathematics, pupils develop their fluency and apply this when solving more complex problems. Older pupils can describe what makes a fair test when conducting scientific investigations. However, too many pupils find it difficult to recall their learning in some foundation subjects. Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly. For example, during phonics lessons, pupils repeat sounds to help secure their understanding. However, misconceptions are not always addressed in pupils’ work. As a result, some pupils make repeated errors, especially in their writing.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is a high priority. The school’s approach to teaching early reading is effective. Children in the early years start learning phonics straight away. They quickly understand how to blend sounds together to read simple words. Pupils use the strategies they have 13 and 14 May 2025

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learned to read unfamiliar words. Staff identify those pupils who need more practice. These pupils are given timely support to help them keep up. Pupils read books that match their stage of reading. This helps them practise using their phonics knowledge to become confident, fluent readers. The school has developed a system for developing pupils’ reading fluency as they move beyond the phonics programme. This is consistently implemented. As a result, pupils develop their reading skills well as they move through the school.

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The school has created a very nurturing environment where every pupil is welcome. In early years, adults quickly get to know the needs of the children. They develop positive learning behaviours and interact well with each other in a vibrant learning environment. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school identifies pupils’ additional needs well. Where appropriate, learning is adapted for pupils with SEND so they learn the same curriculum as their peers. However, pupils with SEND experience the same weaknesses in the curriculum as their peers. As such, they do not achieve as well as they could in some subjects.

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Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular opportunities available that develop their talents and interests. The curriculum is enhanced by a range of trips and visitors. However, the school is not meeting its statutory obligations with regard to relationships, sex and health education. Therefore, pupils lack knowledge about different world faiths and fundamental British values. They lack age-appropriate understanding of protected characteristics and what makes a healthy relationship.

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Staff are very proud to work at the school. They appreciate the steps that the school takes to support their well-being and workload. Governors provide good support and challenge to the school. The majority of parents and carers are positive about the school. However, the school’s quality assurance of the curriculum is not effective in checking the impact of the curriculum on pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the content of the curriculum is not implemented with sufficient clarity. As a result, some pupils do not develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding. This hinders them from building a deep knowledge of the curriculum. The school should ensure it supports teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively so that pupils clearly understand the subject-specific learning intention in every lesson.  The school’s checks on the impact of the curriculum on pupils are not as effective as they should be. As a result, the school does not carefully check that the curriculum is being implemented effectively so that pupils learn and remember more over time. The 13 and 14 May 2025

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school should ensure that it checks the impact of the curriculum effectively to ensure it has an impact on pupils as intended.  Sometimes, teachers do not address pupils’ errors in their work. Therefore, some pupils move through the curriculum with ongoing gaps and misconceptions in their learning. The school should ensure that teachers address pupils’ errors and misconceptions so that they avoid repeating common errors in their work.  The school does not prepare pupils well enough for life in modern Britain, including elements of statutory relationships education. Consequently, pupils’ understanding of healthy relationships, diversity and fundamental British values is limited. The school should ensure that pupils have regular, meaningful opportunities to learn about these aspects so that they are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Michael Saunders

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 January 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Worcester. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in January 2023.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school club for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with a range of leaders, including those responsible for the curriculum, teaching and learning, behaviour, attendance, personal development and safeguarding.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body and held conversations with representatives from the local authority and the Diocese of Worcester.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics

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and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in a range of other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to some parents before and after school. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Fletcher, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nina Sangha Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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