A STALYBRIDGE primary school has been told it needs to get better by inspectors.
However, Ofsted admits changes at Wild Bank have only been introduced recently and the trust in charge says they will continue to drive up standards.
The body found several things need addressing at the Demesne Drive establishment, with issues over its curriculum affecting learning.
Support for those who learn reading slower than others was one area highlighted in a report.
As were support for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), teachers’ checks and the old curriculum leaving gaps.
In the summation of their June 18 and 19 visit, inspectors said: “The support for some of those pupils who do not keep pace with the phonics programme does not enable them to catch up.

“As a result, these pupils do not read as fluently and confidently as they should.
“The school should ensure that these pupils are helped to develop their reading knowledge so that they are able to read with increasing fluency and confidence.
“The school has not defined the essential curriculum knowledge that they want pupils to learn and remember in many subjects. This means that teachers are unclear about what to teach and the order in which they should teach subject content.
“This hampers pupils from building their knowledge securely over time. The school should ensure that subject curriculums are more specific about what pupils should learn so that teachers are better equipped to help pupils develop a secure body of knowledge.
“Teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning in key stages one and two are not effective enough.
“This means that the gaps in pupils’ learning, caused by weaknesses in the previous curriculum, are not resolved. This makes it difficult for pupils to benefit from the new curriculums. It hinders their achievement.
“Some pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need to access learning. This limits their chance to benefit from the new subject curriculums as well as they should.
“However, many aspects of the curriculum have only been introduced recently.
“Pupils currently have gaps in their prior learning. This is preventing them from achieving as well as they should.”
The new curriculum at Wild Bank, which is under headteacher Janet Postlethwaite, has been singled out as a positive.
But inspectors believe it is so recent, its impact has not yet taken full effect.
They add: “The school has recently developed a new curriculum, which is ambitious and meets the needs of pupils well.
“This curriculum is starting to help pupils to build their knowledge more securely than in the past. This is especially true for children in the early years. This means that children are prepared well for Year One
“The positive changes to the curriculum are relatively new. This means that the impact of the previous weaker curriculum on pupils’ learning has not been fully resolved.
“This is reflected in the 2023 results from the national tests and assessments. There was a considerable dip in pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage two.
“Many pupils at the school continue to have gaps in their learning.”
Karen Burns, chief executive of Victorious Academies Trust, which manages Wild Bank Primary, told The Correspondent improvements will continue to be made.
She said: “Following the recent Ofsted inspection at Wild Bank Primary, although graded as Requires Improvement, the report acknowledged the significant improvements already made by the school’s new leadership team and increased support from our Trust.
“The staff team and community are fully embracing the changes which have been made throughout the year and we are hopeful that by the time of the next inspection, the development made will be fully embedded and secure a ‘Good’ judgment for the school.
“Our Trust, school staff and Governors are fully committed to ensuring the best outcomes for our pupils at Wild Bank.”