Ascot Road Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Ascot Road are enthusiastic and happy learners.

They are considerate towards others, for example holding doors open for people. In the playground, older pupils play well together and are caring to their younger peers. They know that adults will always try to help and protect them.

The school sets high standards and supports its staff to meet these. Pupils respond well to this by behaving sensibly and working hard. They are keen to try their best and make the most of their school experiences.

Educational standards are now significantly rising in the school, particularly for younger pupils. This is enabling more pupils to secure the foundational skill...s they need in English and mathematics.Pupils are keen to take on extra responsibilities.

The pupils in the 'learning voice council' are passionate about making the school even better. In classes, pupils act responsibly as monitors. They value these roles and are proud to complete them.

Pupils develop their sense of community and the role they play in this.Pupils learn to celebrate differences. They are tolerant and respectful to others.

They also like the clubs and trips the school provides. The school works hard on developing pupils' talents and interests.

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

Since the last inspection, the trust has quickly reversed the decline in standards at Ascot Road.

A knowledgeable and dedicated team has lifted academic belief in what pupils can do. The trust's strategic actions have brought widespread change for the better and trustees robustly hold the new school leadership team to account. As a result, the trust is crystal clear about what is working well and where greater consistency in practice is needed.

Many pupils stay at Ascot Road for a short period of time. Furthermore, many do not speak English when they join. This has meant that the trust's impact on improving the quality of education is not yet reflected in end of key stage 2 published outcomes.

Trust leaders have actively supported new subject leaders in effecting change and ensuring effective teaching of the planned curriculum. This has been impressive in the teaching of early reading and writing. Children in the Reception Year learn phonics promptly and staff ensure that children have as much practice as they need.

Staff demonstrate expertise in their application of the school's phonics programme. A key strength is the one-to-one tutoring sessions for pupils struggling to read. Every day, skilled staff lead short bursts of highly effective teaching that are rapidly closing the gap for vulnerable pupils.

As a result, outcomes in phonics are now broadly in line with the national average.Building on the design of a well-planned curriculum, the trust's current priorities are on how best teachers teach this to pupils. In lessons, teachers explain concepts clearly.

Generally, teachers identify where pupils may be unsure of something. However, the school has rightly spotted that some pupils can move through the curriculum with existing gaps in their knowledge left unaddressed. Therefore, staff training is currently focused on how well staff check what pupils know and remember over time.

Improvements are evident in the work that pupils do. This includes providing pupils with more opportunities to write. Consequently, pupils now show better technical accuracy in their spelling and sentence structures.

Across subjects, some well-chosen tasks help pupils learn deeper knowledge and make meaningful connections to what they already know. Nevertheless, the trust recognises it needs to further train staff to consistently set ambitious tasks and how best to adapt these for some pupils.Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported.

Personal learning plans help teachers know the key targets and strategies for each pupil with SEND. For example, this is skilfully achieved for pupils who are not yet able to communicate well. The school works effectively with external advisers to make sure provision fully meets the needs of pupils with SEND.

Pupils behave well. They understand that listening carefully to adults and their fellow classmates is important for their learning and achievement. Pupils recognise that the school applies rules fairly.

In early years, staff teach children important attributes such as developing good manners. Where pupils may find it harder to manage their behaviour, the school acts fast to put in the right support. Most pupils attend school regularly.

The school takes appropriate and timely action to support and help improve the attendance of pupils where this is necessary.Pupils enjoy the interesting trips they participate in and the visitors that come into school. For example, pupils eagerly listened to a talk about the Second World War.

This helped them learn more about this period in history. Pupils are knowledgeable about keeping safe online and how to stay healthy.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, the tasks that teachers set do not enable pupils to securely learn what they need. This hinders pupils from achieving highly across the curriculum. The trust should continue to support the school in helping teachers choose the most appropriate tasks to ensure that pupils achieve the highest of outcomes.

Teachers are not always precisely noticing where pupils might have knowledge gaps. This impacts on pupils' progress through the curriculum and how well teachers use adaptive teaching strategies. The trust should build on its comprehensive professional development programme so that teachers consistently spot gaps in pupils' knowledge and effectively adapt their lessons accordingly.

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