Abbott Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Abbott Community Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a nurturing environment in which pupils are happy and feel safe.

The school's motto, 'Aiming high to achieve success', is at the heart of everyone's work. Pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, rise to the very high expectations that the school has for them. They flourish and achieve extremely well, academically, socially and personally.

The school celebrates and embraces diversity. Pupils show exceptional pride when speaking about their school. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing.

...>Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They have highly positive attitudes to their learning during lessons. Pupils are extremely polite and respectful towards their peers, staff and visitors.

They work and play together remarkably well.

Pupils' time at school is enriched by many memorable experiences. They showcase their skills and talents at the annual 'Abbott's Got Talent' show, for example as magicians, dancers and actors.

Staff make excellent use of resources available in the locality, such as libraries and theatres, to enrich pupils' learning. Pupils take part in a wide array of visits, clubs and sports. These include outdoor education, art, cricket and dance.

Pupils relish opportunities to take on leadership roles, such as being house captains and volunteering in the library.

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

The school has developed a highly ambitious curriculum that enables pupils to be confident and successful learners. Subject curriculums set out what children in the early years and pupils are expected to learn and the order in which content should be delivered.

Pupils make excellent progress through the curriculum. Year 6 pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Staff routinely check what pupils know and can remember.

They use this information well to identify previous curriculum content to revisit, so that pupils can build on and deepen their knowledge. Staff have strong subject knowledge. They explain new concepts and information clearly.

Pupils readily recall their learning across a range of subjects. They relish opportunities to discuss their ideas with their classmates. This helps them to develop their confidence and to further extend their vocabulary.

Reading has a high profile throughout the school. In the Nursery class, highly trained staff take every opportunity to develop children's communication and language skills. Pupils learn phonics as soon as they start in the Reception Year.

They read from books that are matched to the sounds that they already know. Pupils use and apply their phonics knowledge well to read unfamiliar words. Staff provide highly effective support for pupils who struggle with early reading.

This helps them to catch up quickly. Pupils have access to a wide selection of diverse texts that capture their interests. Older pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, develop into confident and fluent readers.

They enjoy talking about their favourite authors and books.

The school ensures that the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. Staff use information about pupils with SEND to expertly adapt the delivery of the curriculum and provide appropriate support.

This helps pupils with SEND to progress well through the curriculum.

Pupils follow the school's clear routines and high expectations of behaviour. This contributes to a calm and purposeful atmosphere, starting from the beginning of the early years.

Pupils listen attentively and are highly motivated to complete their learning activities. They show caring and thoughtful behaviours towards each other during breaktimes and lunchtimes. The school encourages high levels of attendance.

It monitors pupils' attendance closely and works with families and external agencies to support pupils to attend school regularly.

The school has developed an extensive range of opportunities that support pupils' wider development. Pupils develop an understanding of democracy through a range of activities, including the election of house captains.

They show respect for the beliefs and traditions of people from different faiths. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe while online and in the community. For example, they know about the dangers of knife crime.

These learning opportunities help to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britian.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the school's consideration of their workload and well-being, before any changes are introduced.

Staff who are new to teaching spoke highly of the support that they have received to develop their subject expertise further. Governors are knowledgeable and work exceptionally well with the school. They provide insightful challenge and support.

This helps to make sure that the school provides pupils with the best possible education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

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

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in January 2019.