St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Briavels are proud of their school. They are polite, respectful and welcoming. Pupils enjoy the wide range of curriculum subjects on offer.

They are keen to talk about what they learn. Pupils appreciate how the school prepares them for the next stage in their education.

Pupils value the relationships they have with adults.

They say that staff care about their well-being and mental health. Pupils are accepting and tolerant of others. Staff make sure that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included fully in the life of the school.

Pupils feel they have a voice and that staff listen to them.

Pu...pils feel happy and safe. Pupils know what the different types of bullying are.

They say that bullying rarely happens. Staff support pupils well if they have any worries. Most parents agree that staff take good care of their child.

Pupils take part in a variety of opportunities in the local and wider community. They talk about these opportunities with excitement. These include the Malvern Show 'garden build'.

Throughout this project, pupils work together across age ranges, increasing their understanding of the school's values of resilience, compassion, respect and courage.

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

The recently established leadership team has prioritised developing the curriculum. Subject leaders have considered what they want pupils to know and remember in each subject.

As a result, knowledge builds in a way that makes sense to all pupils, including pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged.

Leaders have high expectations and are knowledgeable about the subjects they lead. Consequently, teachers feel supported well in teaching the different curriculum areas.

Governors are well-informed about this work in addition to other school priorities. They gather this information in a range of ways, including school visits and speaking with pupils, staff and leaders. Governors challenge leaders to ensure developments are successful.

However, because the curriculum developments are in their infancy, there are some inconsistencies in approaches that teachers use. Leaders' monitoring is not yet sufficiently robust to make sure that there is a consistent approach to the implementation of the curriculum across all classes. Despite this, well-targeted support ensures that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged achieve well.

The curriculum design for all subjects starts in early years. In Reception, adults design interactions and learning activities effectively. This builds on how children develop in Nursery, where there is secure understanding about how to use well-planned, purposeful interactions to extend children's vocabulary.

As a result, children develop their language and communication successfully. Adults encourage children to problem-solve and think creatively as they learn about the world around them. This prepares them for future learning.

However, teachers do not use assessment consistently well in the foundation subjects in key stage 1 and 2 in order to check what pupils know or to adapt teaching when necessary.

Leaders prioritise reading. Children get off to a flying start in the early years.

They learn phonics as soon as they start school. Books match the sounds they are learning. Older pupils who remain at the early stages of reading, and those who have fallen behind, get extra help to catch up quickly.

Pupils enjoy reading and listening to adults read to them. Adults read carefully chosen books to increase pupils' interest in reading and experiences of different genres and authors. As a result, pupils learn to read successfully.

The mathematics curriculum is well thought out. Children in Reception develop their knowledge of early mathematics effectively. They deepen their understanding of number through well-planned activities.

This ensures that they are ready for Year 1. For older pupils, teaching builds well on what pupils already know and understand.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe.

They know about the importance of good mental health and what can affect this. Pupils learn about beliefs that may be different from their own. They learn about this in their lessons as well as in worship, when on trips and visits and from the diverse range of books in the library.

They share the view that everyone is welcome. Older pupils have an increasing understanding of different types of relationships. Pupils are prepared well for life beyond St Briavels.

Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. However, they are not always clear about the expectations staff have of their attitudes to learning in the classroom. As a result, at times, some pupils do not have the focused and quiet space they need to learn.

Leaders have started work on this. They know what approach they want to use to meet the needs of the pupils and underpin the Christian values of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, including governors, keep pupils' safety and well-being a priority. Staff know how to report concerns using school systems and receive regular safeguarding training. Leaders work closely with other agencies so that pupils and their families get the support they need.

Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are completed for new members of staff and induction processes are robust.

There are opportunities planned into the curriculum for pupils to learn about risks in their local area, for example road safety and water safety.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The revised curriculum is still in its early stages.

As a result, there are some are inconsistencies in how teachers deliver the planned curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that they monitor their subject areas closely so that they have an accurate view of the consistency in the delivery of the curriculum in all subjects. ? Assessment is not precise enough in foundation subjects.

As a result, learning is not as sharply focused for some pupils as it could be. Leaders need to ensure that teachers accurately identify pupils' starting points so that pupils build new learning successfully and remember more over time. ? At times, there is some variability in the strategies used by teachers to manage high expectations in pupils' attitudes to learning.

Consequently, attitudes to learning in the classroom are not always as focused and successful as they could be. Leaders are in the process of revising the approach to behaviour. They must ensure that teachers' approach to behaviour management is consistent.