Aveley Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They are able to learn in a friendly and calm environment.

Pupils know adults want them to succeed and care about their well-being. Pupils take care when presenting their work and writing about the things they have learned. They are proud of their achievements.

Pupils are clear about the high expectations adults have for behaviour and learning. Pupils live up to these expectations well and try hard to achieve their best. They listen politely to their teachers and each other.

Pupils play happily with their friends at breaktimes. They enjoy using the wide range of equipment available for them to play with.

Pupils are... safe in school.

They understand the school rules and behave well. They know bullying can happen. They also know that there are a lot of adults who they can talk to if anything worries them.

Pupils are confident that adults will help to sort out any problems.

Pupils represent the school as school councillors, 'planet saviours' as members of the eco council, or mental health champions. They take these responsibilities seriously.

Pupils feel involved in school life and the decisions that leaders take to improve the school further.

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

Leaders have worked effectively in order to ensure that there is an ambitious, engaging curriculum in place. Pupils enjoy learning the range of subjects on offer.

Most curriculum thinking clearly identifies the important knowledge, including vocabulary, that pupils need to learn. However, a few subjects are in an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, leaders have not yet ensured that teachers know exactly what key knowledge they need to teach and when.

School and trust leaders prioritise training for staff in a range of subjects. Therefore, teachers are well trained and confident to teach the curriculum. Teachers work well together to share expertise in designing lessons for pupils.

Teachers use the same familiar routines, resources and expectations in all lessons. This helps pupils to become confident learners and work hard.

In more established subjects, teachers make careful checks to ensure that pupils remember their learning.

Where this occurs, pupils achieve well. In the small number of subjects recently updated, the curriculum content is still new to pupils and staff. Teachers are still getting to grips with checking how well pupils are retaining this new knowledge.

As a result, pupils are not yet as secure in their knowledge in these subjects as leaders want them to be.

Staff teach early reading very well. They have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

They check regularly that pupils have remembered the sounds they have learned. They provide additional, timely support for pupils who need more time to practise their reading. Teachers read regularly to pupils from high-quality books.

The books that pupils learn to read from match their reading ability. As a result, pupils become fluent and confident readers quickly.

Leaders are equally ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils with SEND enjoy the same learning opportunities as other pupils. They work independently alongside their friends in most lessons. Pupils in the school's autistic resource centre (ARC) receive expert support.

This helps pupils successfully work towards their individual targets.

Pupils behave well in their lessons and around school. They are respectful of others' learning.

Pupils do not interrupt lessons with poor behaviour. They understand school rules and what happens if you break them. Pupils listen well to each other and to their teachers.

They concentrate on their work and answer questions carefully and with confidence.

Children in the Nursery and Reception learn very well. Leaders and teachers have the highest of expectations of children's learning and behaviour.

As a result, children pay careful attention to the adults who teach them and are well prepared for Year 1.

Leaders, trust staff, directors and local governors work effectively as a team. They ensure the school's continued improvement.

Governors visit the school to check how the school is doing. This helps governors identify further support needed to improve the school. Leaders take the workload of staff into account when making decisions about any changes needed.

Pupils understand how to have respectful friendships. They enjoy the 'big question' assemblies where they are encouraged to think about a range of topics. They learn about the range of religions and cultures in the world through the books that teachers read to them.

There are a number of sports clubs that pupils can join. Pupils learn how to be sociable, reflective and responsible members of the community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff are trained and updated regularly on how to identify concerns about pupils or adults. Staff know pupils well and log any concerns without delay. Leaders offer high-quality pastoral support for pupils who need strategies to stay safe.

Leaders also work well with a range of agencies to ensure that pupils receive the help, support and protection that they need and as quickly as possible.

Pupils learn how to manage risk. Teachers provide lessons about staying safe when working online.

Pupils learn about how to take care of their mental health and where to go for advice.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders are updating their curriculum planning in a small number of subjects. These subjects do not yet contain all the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember, including relevant vocabulary.

Pupils have gaps in knowledge in these subjects. Leaders must ensure that in all subjects the essential knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember are clearly identified. Teachers then need to check that pupils have secured this knowledge well before moving on to new learning.

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