These Oxfordshire primary schools are rated as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted

Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, is a non-ministerial department which inspects services that provide education and skills for learners of all ages.

It rates places such as schools as outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

READ MORE: These Oxfordshire primary schools have outstanding Ofsted ratings

Requires improvement schools are the second lowest rated while inadequate are the lowest.

The information on this list has been sourced from the latest reports on the Ofsted website.

It is important to note some of the schools on this list include those which also teach pupils older than primary school age, as well as primary age pupils.

These are the Oxfordshire primary schools which have been labelled as requires improvement:

Bayards Hill School

Waynflete Road, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9NU

This is the school’s second requires improvement rating following the same result in 2017.

The latest report found the school required improved in nearly every area, except early years provision which was labelled inadequate.

The report said: “The early years curriculum does not support the development and deepening of children’s knowledge, skills and understanding well. Too few children are secure enough in their phonics skills to read with fluency by the end of Reception.

“Leaders need to make the appropriate changes to ensure children learn what they need to so that they are ready for Year 1.

“The quality of education is not good enough. Leaders have started to make improvements but these need to be consolidated and widened to ensure that all pupils, especially those with SEND, are able to learn effectively. Leaders should work swiftly to add depth and breadth to the curriculum to ensure pupils’ learning has firm foundations.

“Not all teachers have the required knowledge and confidence in the subjects that they teach. They require training to build their expertise. Leaders need to ensure that staff receive the development they need so that they can quickly improve the learning across the curriculum.

“Too few pupils have sufficient opportunities to develop their character and talents. Leaders need to implement swiftly the plans they have drawn up to ensure that pupils benefit. Leaders should prioritise the personal development opportunities for all, but especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.”

St John Fisher Catholic Primary School

Sandy Lane West, Littlemore, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 6LD

This school scored good ratings in three areas, with requires improvement ratings in the other three.

The report found: “Leaders have made some improvements in the development of the curriculum, for example in mathematics. However, these improvements have not led to pupils knowing more and remembering more over time. Leaders need to ensure that pupils improve their knowledge, skills and understanding of subjects so that they achieve well.”

It added: “Subject leaders need to develop clear plans that focus on the skills pupils are expected to learn to help them to succeed. Leaders must ensure that they improve how they check how much pupils have learned.

“The trust has been through a turbulent period. Trustees do not hold leaders to account well. Trustees need to hold leaders to account so that leaders improve the quality of education.

“In early years, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is well planned so that it meets pupils’ needs. Some staff require training to develop their understanding of what they teach and how they check that it is working. This means that children do not learn as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers’ plans are better matched to the needs of pupils.”

Abbey Woods Academy

Wimblestraw Road, Berinsfield, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 7LZ

The school’s most recent inspection saw them score a second requires improvement rating, following the same result in 2017.

The school was, however, rated as good in three areas. These were ‘behaviour and attitudes’, ‘personal development’ and ‘early years provision’.

The report stated: “Weaknesses in pupils’ knowledge across the curriculum contribute to their low attainment at the end of key stage 2. The content of the wider curriculum is not as well organised as it needs to be. Leaders need to identify the knowledge and skills pupils should learn at different stages so that they achieve well.

“The curriculum plans for subjects such as science, geography and history do not support teachers to build pupils’ knowledge sequentially so that pupils understand and remember key facts and ideas. Leaders need to ensure that the content of all subject plans is well chosen, carefully sequenced and that the end points are clearly identified.

“Across the wider curriculum, leaders have not made sure that teachers have the required subject-specific knowledge. Teachers need more training to improve this professional knowledge and guidance to teach a range of subjects more effectively.

“Leaders have not ensured that teachers make appropriate use of assessment information well enough to check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching accordingly in subjects other than English and mathematics. Leaders need to make sure teachers have the skills to help them support pupils successfully.

“Local governors do not challenge leaders well enough to check for the impact of strategic actions to improve the quality of education, which includes the achievement of pupils with SEND. Local governors need to hold leaders to account more effectively.

“Leaders do not always make the best use of the resources and wider expertise available through the work of the trust. Leaders need to make sure they take maximum advantage of the specific and broader support available to improve the quality of education and achievement of all pupils.”

Long Wittenham (Church of England) Primary School

High Street, Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4QJ

This latest inspection report saw the school receive a requires improvement rating following three consecutive good scores.

The school was rated as requires improvement in four out of the six main areas.

The report found: “The quality of teaching is variable across the curriculum. In some year groups, teachers do not use assessment information effectively to identify the next steps in pupils’ learning.

“Pupils, particularly the most able, do not always receive work that is sufficiently challenging. As a result, pupils’ progress is hampered and too few pupils reach the higher standards of attainment.

“Pupils’ progress over time in reading, writing and mathematics has been too slow. Consequently, some pupils have to make up ground because of poor teaching in the past.

“Some interventions do not always meet pupils’ needs well enough. Some adults’ expectations are too low and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not making secure progress in some subjects.

“Leaders have revamped school improvement planning and associated monitoring activities. This work is at an early stage and it is too soon to judge its success.

“Some elements of the school’s website do not comply with requirements.”

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