Aldwyn Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Aldwyn Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live out the values of the school. Leaders help pupils to achieve well academically. Pupils also develop a strong moral, social and cultural awareness.

Pupils are happy and feel safe. They trust the adults in school.

Leaders and teachers expect pupils to behave well.

Pupils respond positively to these high expectations. They work hard in lessons because they love learning. They want to achieve well for themselves and their teachers.

Pupils' behaviour in and out of lessons is impeccable. Pupils, and children in early years, are kind, respectful and cooperativ...e. No child or pupil is left out.

Disagreements, including rare bullying incidents, are dealt with promptly by teachers.

Pupils take part in the wide range of extra-curricular clubs such as basketball, netball, coding and knitting. Pupils benefit from trips to the theatre and other local places of interest.

Pupils love using the school grounds, including the school's allotment for their outdoor learning. Older pupils thrive when they take on positions of responsibility. For example, sports leaders coach younger pupils at lunchtime.

The recent 'star gazing' evening was led very well by knowledgeable Year 6 pupils. Such activities promote pupils' confidence and their desire to make a contribution to their school community.

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

Leaders have designed a well-thought-out curriculum for most subjects.

They have made sure that the knowledge that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6 is carefully ordered. This enables pupils to build on their learning over time. Teachers have secure subject knowledge.

They select interesting resources to engage pupils. Children in early years develop their communication and language skills well.

Leaders have placed a high priority on reading.

Reading is a strong feature of the school. Teachers deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Children in the Reception class and pupils in key stage 1 use their phonics knowledge well to read unfamiliar words.

Teachers check if pupils are struggling to keep up with the phonics programme. These pupils receive effective support to help them catch up. Consequently, the vast majority of pupils read with fluency and accuracy by the end of Year 2.

Older pupils develop a love for reading. The library is well stocked with interesting fiction and non-fiction books. The class novels often link with their learning in different subjects.

For example, in Year 6, their reading of Great Expectations helps them with their studies of crime and punishment in Victorian England.

Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. In most subjects, teachers understand their needs and adapt the delivery of the curriculum effectively.

However, in a few subjects, teachers do not help pupils with SEND to learn as well as they should. This slows their progress through the curriculum.

Most teaching helps pupils to remember what they have learned using a range of effective strategies.

However, in a few subjects, teaching does not ensure pupils retain the important knowledge they need for future learning. This slows pupils' progress.

Pupils, including children in early years, learn to regulate their behaviour, consider one another and be kind.

Teachers are caring and sensitive to pupils' needs. Pupils' behaviour around school is calm and purposeful. The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum supports pupils to be in touch with their feelings and to seek help when it is needed.

Teachers help pupils to consider others, be safe and to look after the environment. Leaders support pupils' mental health with professional counselling. The Year 6 mental health champions receive formal training to help them support their peers in school.

Pupils are also community minded. The school council has recently planned a litter picking project in the local area. Pupils also help out at the local elderly care centre.

Pupils with SEND participate fully.

Leaders, including governors, listen to staff's views and make adjustments to their workload and working conditions accordingly. Staff feel supported as professionals and as colleagues.

Leaders support the staff's training needs well. Staff feel proud to be a member of what they call the 'Aldwyn family'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have effective systems in place to report and record safeguarding concerns. All staff are well trained and vigilant. Leaders know the pupils and their families well.

They maintain a close working partnership with safeguarding agencies. As a result, pupils at risk of harm are provided with the right support in a timely way.

Pupils receive age-appropriate guidance to help them keep safe online.

Regular workshops from safeguarding organisations help pupils to keep themselves safe offline. Leaders have made sure pupils have a wide range of ways to report their concerns, including worry boxes in classrooms.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, teachers do not adapt their delivery of the curriculum well enough to help pupils with SEND learn all that they should.

This slows their progress through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that teachers are equipped with the knowledge that they need to meet the needs of pupils with SEND and help them to achieve well. ? In a few subjects, teachers do not ensure that pupils remember the important knowledge they have been taught.

This means that pupils cannot build on their previous knowledge confidently and fluently. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive the support they need to help pupils know more and remember more.

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 January 2013.