Clements Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Clements Primary Academy is a caring and inclusive place to learn. Pupils are well supported to do their best and they behave well.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They achieve well because of the quality of the curriculum and the high expectations staff have of them.

Pupils who attend the school have a wide range of needs.

Similarly, as for pupils throughout the school, pupils in the specialist resourced provision are supported well so they learn effectively alongside their peers. Pupils are helped successfully to access and use strategies to help them make the right choices.

Behaviour in school is good.

Bullying rarely happens and if it doe...s, pupils say it is dealt with quickly by staff. Pupils understand that some pupils need help to follow the rules and they support each other to do this in class and around the school.

Parents are typically happy with how well their children achieve.

They overwhelmingly feel that their children are well cared for and supported. Parents are positive about pupils' behaviour and say that staff are approachable. A parent summarised what many said, saying that 'children flourish at Clements; the learning is tailored to children's needs'.

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

Leaders at Clements Primary Academy have designed and implemented an ambitious curriculum in all subjects. Leaders have high standards of what is expected of pupils, including those pupils who attend the specialist resource base.

Leaders have checked what pupils have learned throughout the pandemic.

They have prioritised areas of the curriculum such as mathematics, reading and science to make sure any content pupils have missed are taught. The carefully planned curriculum is based on revisiting important knowledge so pupils are able to use this to help them remember and learn more. On some occasions, where staff are less confident with their subject knowledge, such as in religious education (RE), pupils do not always have the chance to link or develop their learning as deeply as in other subjects.

Children in the early years get off to a good start in learning to read. Children learn how to recognise everyday sounds in nursery. They then learn to link sounds to letters as soon as they enter the Reception Year.

Leaders are successfully addressing any gaps children have in reading, writing, personal, social and physical development. However, while this is the case for core areas, leaders have not been clear enough about what they want children to know and remember in some of the other areas of learning.

Leaders ensure pupils use the strategies they have been taught to quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers.

Following the pandemic, leaders have prioritised reading for pupils in Year 2 and 3, who have additional reading sessions. These carefully delivered sessions have ensured that nearly all pupils have caught up by the time they leave Year 3.

Behaviour in and around school is positive.

Leaders have ensured that all staff have appropriate training to manage behaviour consistently across the school. Staff use shared scripts to deal with unacceptable behaviour effectively, and expectations are high. This results in positive adult and pupil relationships and minimal disruption to pupils' learning.

Leaders have a clear rationale for how pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the curriculum. Regardless of whether pupils are in the main school or the specialist resourced provision, pupils with SEND receive the correct support. Some pupils benefit from additional focused sessions that help them to understand and control their emotions.

This is because staff have high expectations and make suitable adjustments to support pupils' individual needs effectively, while ensuring pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

Pupils are offered a wide range of opportunities which support their personal development effectively. The school provides sport, music, sign language and eco clubs.

The carefully considered personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum teaches pupils to understand rights and responsibilities, leadership skills and diverse family units. Pupils can explain the terms democracy and tolerance due to what they have learned in lessons and assemblies about British values.

The local governing body (LGB) understands the school's priorities and what needs to improve.

They have used expertise within the trust which has successfully supported improvements in reading and mathematics. Governors understand their roles well. They visit the school and talk to leaders regularly to check that leaders' work is improving the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong safeguarding culture throughout the school.

Leaders have robust systems in place to log and monitor safeguarding concerns.

Staff are well trained. They are confident about how to report concerns. They are aware of specific issues to be vigilant about, such as domestic abuse and county lines.

Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They know to go to a trusted adult if they are worried. The well-planned and delivered PSHE curriculum ensures pupils can talk with confidence about online safety and mental and physical well-being.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have ensured that there is a well-sequenced, ambitious curriculum in place. Some staff are not as confident in delivering this across every subject. This means pupils do not always have the secure knowledge they need to build on prior learning.

Leaders need to make sure all staff have the skills and knowledge to implement the curriculum plans, ensuring the quality of education delivered supports pupils to achieve well. ? While the curriculum in the early years is ambitious to ensure children have the personal, physical, communication, reading and social skills they need, leaders are not clear enough about what they want children to learn in the other areas of learning. Leaders must ensure staff are confident to plan and implement a curriculum that identifies the specific knowledge and skills children need from when they join the school until the end of Reception, so children are well prepared for Year 1.