Manor Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Manor Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this happy and inclusive school.

They know that staff will keep them safe and do everything they can to help them learn. When asked to describe their school, pupils used words and phrases such as 'supportive' and 'treats people equally' and 'determined not to give up'.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

They are polite, charming and helpful. They join in with class discussions but are also taught to listen to each other carefully. From the early years, they learn to concentrate and to be kind to other pupils.

Bullying does not often happen an...d pupils know that they can use worry boxes or talk to staff about any concerns they might have and that these will be dealt with swiftly.

The school expects all pupils to enjoy learning and achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Relationships between staff and pupils are strong, and low-level disruption of lessons is rare.

Pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy getting involved in the wider activities that are offered by the school. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the different clubs they attend, including multi-sports, tag rugby and choir. There are also trips to enrich their education, such as visits to different places of worship, to an archaeological dig and to Paradise Wildlife Park.

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

Reading is a priority from the moment children enter the school. In Nursery, they are introduced to sounds and rhymes, and in Reception, they progress on to having lessons in phonics. Staff have been well trained; they deliver the phonics scheme confidently so that there is parity between classes and progression from one year to the next.

Regular checks ensure that pupils who fall behind are identified and appropriate support is put in place to help them catch up. Pupils read books that are matched to their ability, and enjoyment of reading is also fostered through activities, such as a daily reading session at the end of each afternoon.

Leaders have created a broad and ambitious curriculum in line with national expectations.

In mathematics, teachers demonstrate a strong subject knowledge. They are well trained in the school's approach to mathematics teaching. They provide appropriate resources to support pupils' mathematical understanding, and subject-specific language is used consistently by adults and understood by pupils.

In other subjects, ambition is high, and teachers ensure that there is revision of key knowledge so that pupils build on their prior learning. Pupils can discuss and remember what they have learned previously in most cases. However, occasionally, staff do not check that pupils have consolidated and understood concepts fully before moving them on to the next stage of learning.

Staff have the same ambitious goals for pupils with SEND as for all other pupils. The school quickly identifies any pupils with SEND and works effectively with outside agencies. Teachers adapt learning to support these pupils well.

In the special educational needs (SEN) unit, the staff ensure that each pupil is provided with a carefully tailored, individual programme of learning to ensure that their needs are fulfilled.

The school has embedded a positive approach to managing behaviour. As a result, the school is a calm and orderly environment where pupils are thriving.

The school has high expectations and adults model the behaviours that they want pupils to demonstrate. In the SEN unit, pupils' behaviour is calm. Any dysregulation is dealt with according to each pupil's needs.

The school is improving pupils' attendance and lowering persistent absence. They contact families on the first day of any absence and then follow up with meetings, which involve the parent support adviser or the safeguarding lead, depending on the circumstances.

A range of enriching experiences is offered by the school.

For example, pupils from the SEN unit enjoy swimming lessons and visit the 'discover story centre' at Stratford. The school invites visitors to enrich the curriculum too, including a dance workshop and successful sportsmen and women. They host ancient Greek and ancient Roman days when pupils explore those parts of their history curriculum.

Pupils can help in different ways, for example, they can become eco-ambassadors who encourage recycling in the school, be a school councillor or support younger children by being a lunchtime monitor.

Staff feel invested in and consider that their well-being is taken into account by leaders. They are supported to carry out their roles and most state that workload is not a concern.

Governors know that leaders are receptive to advice and ready to make improvements where needed. Governors know the school well and see themselves as a 'critical friend'. They have a secure grasp on the systems for safeguarding at the school.

Parents and carers are very positive about the school and the care and education it provides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes concepts are not securely embedded in pupils' long-term memory before they are moved on to new learning.

This means that gaps develop in their understanding. The school should ensure that underpinning knowledge is secure before moving on to new ideas.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2014.

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