Trekenner Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Trekenner Community Primary School is a happy place. Parents and carers agree that pupils enjoy coming to school and love to learn. Pupils join in with the range of extra-curricular clubs on offer.

For example, singing, eco club and sporting activities. Some pupils lead their own clubs for their peers, such as learning how to... code.

Nonetheless, pupils do not yet benefit from a coherent curriculum in all subjects, including children in the early years.

This can hamper how well they learn. Some pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for their next stage of education.

Pupils develop strong relationships with staff.

They trust that if they have any concerns there will always be someone to help them. They agree that bullying is rare and dealt with quickly. Pupils understand the new approaches to managing behaviour.

They say that, for the most part, pupils make good choices about how they behave in lessons and in the playground. This helps them to feel safe in school.

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

Leaders and governors are starting to bring about more rapid improvement in the quality of education that pupils receive.

Leaders have a clear understanding of what they need to strengthen further. They prioritise these improvements carefully, so that they can check the difference it is making for pupils. Nevertheless, it is too early to see the full impact of this work.

In some subjects, leaders have clearly identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn. They sequence this learning carefully, so that pupils' learning builds in difficulty. Teaching in these subjects is supporting pupils to learn well and they remember more as a result.

For example, in mathematics, pupils ably use number facts to solve more difficult problems. In geography, pupils talk knowledgeably about volcanoes and the impact of past and more recent eruptions.

However, staff do not have the required knowledge and expertise in some subjects to teach the curriculum effectively.

Therefore, the teaching of the curriculum is not consistently good across all subjects and year groups, including in the early years foundation stage. Where this is the case, pupils' learning is piecemeal. Furthermore, teachers' use of assessment does not check how well pupils learn the curriculum.

Thus, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified. For some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the curriculum is not adapted well enough. For other pupils, the curriculum lacks ambition.

Children learn to read as soon as they start school. Children in the early years listen intently to adults read books and stories. Staff follow a well-structured phonics curriculum.

They check regularly what letters and sounds pupils remember. Some pupils, who need additional support to catch up, get the help that they need. Yet, for other pupils, including some pupils with SEND, the help they receive is not well thought out.

Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum is not coherently planned to support pupils to build up their reading expertise over time. Pupils also do not yet read widely for pleasure.

Pupils understand the importance of kindness and respect.

They show this in their interactions with staff and peers. Leaders have carefully considered what pupils should learn to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn important knowledge through the personal, social and health education curriculum.

They talk about some of the protected characteristics, including race and gender. Pupils value each other's differences. They are looking forward to the return of the school parliament, which has been hampered by COVID-19.

Staff, along with parents who responded to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, are positive about the impact that the new headteacher has had on school improvement. Staff value that workload and well-being are well considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have taken swift action to strengthen safeguarding procedures. All staff have completed the relevant safeguarding training. Systems to report concerns have improved.

As a result, staff report any concerns they have clearly and quickly. Leaders follow up these concerns, so that pupils get the help that they need. They make the required checks when new staff start the school.

Yet, there are some inconsistencies in record-keeping.

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when using online technology. They learn about healthy relationships and different types of families.

Pupils respect each other's personal boundaries and understand the importance of consent.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The reading curriculum is not sequenced effectively. Leaders do not support some pupils to read a range of texts for pleasure.

As a result, some pupils do not read widely or develop their reading skills incrementally. Leaders should ensure that the reading curriculum is well sequenced, so that pupils read a range of high quality and diverse texts regularly and confidently. ? In some subjects, staff do not have the knowledge they need to support pupils' learning effectively, including for pupils with SEND.

This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could and are ill-prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders need to ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise required to deliver the curriculum as intended for all pupils. ? In many subjects, staff do not check what pupils know and remember routinely.

Therefore, sometimes gaps in pupils' knowledge go unidentified. Leaders should ensure that teachers' use of assessment consistently supports pupils to build on what they already know. ? The curriculum in the early years is not coherently planned or implemented.

As a result, children struggle to learn independently because activities are not always well matched to their stage of development. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum in the early years is coherently planned for all areas of learning, so that children are ready for their next stage of education.

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 June 2013.