Askam Village School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this warm and friendly school. Leaders ensure that all pupils feel welcome.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils, including children in the early years, said that they feel happy and safe. They take great pride in their successes and achievements in and out of school.

Leaders and staff ensure that pupils and children are clear about the expectations for their behaviour from when they start in the Nursery class. Pupils are courteous and polite. They understand what bullying is and they know that trusted adults in school will help them if they have any... concerns.

Pupils told inspectors that when incidents of bullying occur, that these are dealt with straight away.

Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities on offer and take pride in their sports trophies that they have won for the school. They value other activities, such as art and musical theatre clubs.

Parents and carers are positive about the support that staff provide for their children.

Pupils understand the importance of looking after the environment and the local community. For example, they arrange litter picking to keep the school grounds tidy and they are keen to support events in the wider community following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Leaders have designed an appropriately ambitious curriculum that is carefully thought out. The curriculum excites pupils. Staff promote an enthusiasm for learning from the minute that children join the school in the Nursery Year.

Leaders are clear about the knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn and when this content should be delivered. This helps to ensure that teachers are confident about how to design learning that supports pupils to build securely on what they know already.

Mostly, teachers use assessment strategies well to check that pupils and children understand and remember new learning.

Teachers use the information from these checks effectively to identify knowledge that pupils may have missed or forgotten. However, in some subjects, leaders have not ensured that teachers use assessment information as well as they could to inform future teaching.

Leaders have successfully prioritised reading across the school.

There is a wide range of high-quality books for pupils to read, in classrooms and in the school library. Children and pupils value the joy that reading can bring.

Leaders have introduced a well-ordered phonics curriculum.

This ensures that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Leaders have invested in new books that closely match the sounds that pupils are learning in class.

Pupils read often at home and in school.

Those pupils who require extra help are supported well by highly skilled staff. Consequently, most pupils learn to read accurately and fluently. Parents and carers value the communication from leaders about how they can best support their children with reading.

Pupils, including children in the early years, attend school regularly. They behave and conduct themselves well. This begins in the early years where children learn to follow clear routines.

Pupils show high levels of respect for each other and staff. Any disruption to pupils' learning is rare. Pupils are focused and highly motivated to achieve well.

Pupils contribute fully to the life of the school. They learn how to be responsible and active citizens. For example, the active school council play a key role in ensuring that the voices of their peers are heard.

Pupils have a strong understanding of fundamental British values and diversity. They respect other cultures, faiths and beliefs. Pupils are tolerant and value the importance of everyone being treated equally.

Leaders ensure that pupils are supported well by staff, including those pupils with SEND. They know pupils well and identify pupils' additional needs in a timely manner. Staff support pupils with SEND effectively from the early years to Year 6 to access the same curriculum as their classmates.

Leaders and governors have a clear and ambitious vision for the school. They have a detailed understanding of its strengths and areas for further development. Members of the governing body understand their roles and carry them out effectively.

Staff feel that they are supported by leaders who prioritise staff's workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that staff are trained well to identify those pupils who may be at risk of harm.

Leaders have implemented clear systems for staff to report any safeguarding concerns.

Leaders act in a timely way to follow up any concerns. They secure help for vulnerable pupils and their families.

Leaders work effectively with different agencies to ensure that pupils are supported appropriately.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know who to go to if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable online.

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 use assessment strategies as well they should to check on pupils' understanding of earlier learning. As a result, from time to time, teachers do not identify pupils' missing knowledge quickly enough or act swiftly to address these gaps. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies well to identify pupils' missing or forgotten learning and to use this effectively to inform future teaching.