Pikemere School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils' achievement is good.

From starting school with knowledge and skills which are typical for their age, children make good progress. Standards attained by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics were above average in 2014 at the end of Year 2. Progress this year in writing has improved since a dip in achievement in 2014.

This is because of the clear focus of school leaders on ensuring that pupils now learn to write well. The quality of teaching is good in all subjects and helps pupils to achieve well. Pupils learn to read extremely well because of effective teaching.

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational... needs make good progress in their learning. Effective support from teaching assistants helps them to learn well. The provision in the early years is effective, helping children to make a flying start.

Pupils report categorically there are no incidents of bullying. They report that no type of bullying would be tolerated by staff or their fellow pupils. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

On the playground, pupils play nicely together and care well for each other, ensuring their peers enjoy their breaks fully. Pupils are kept exceptionally safe in school. They report they feel very secure in school because : teachers and all other staff care well for them.

The responses to Parent View and staff questionnaires strongly support this view. School leaders and managers have an exceptionally clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They share an exceedingly clear understanding of what needs to be done to improve the school further.

The visionary headteacher is ably supported by senior staff and middle leaders. The powerful governing body holds school leaders robustly to account for pupils' achievement. Together they have improved teaching well and successfully addressed the dip in writing achievement.

The school continues to improve well because of leaders' very strong, strategic direction and the shared vision which permeates through the whole staff. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Achievement in mathematics and writing is not as strong as it is in reading. Marking methods are not tightly enough focused on helping pupils to improve their work further.

Occasionally, a few teachers accept work from pupils which is untidy or poorly presented. Now and again, a small minority of teachers mark incorrect answers in mathematics as correct giving pupils a false impression of how well they are achieving.

Information about this school

This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is slightly above the national average. Many of these pupils have particularly complex learning needs. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.

The term disadvantaged pupils is used to describe those pupils who are or have been eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority. These pupils receive additional support through the pupil premium funding. Most pupils are of White British heritage.

Children attend Nursery sessions part time and the Reception class full time. The school works in partnership with other schools in the Alsager Community Trust. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.