Banham Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a strong sense of community.

This is reflected in the kind and happy nature of the pupils. They speak positively about the school and they act responsibly, embodying the school's values. School staff model the very best of what they expect from the pupils.

This culture ensures pupils feel safe, knowing adults are there to help when needed.

Pupils typically achieve well. They work hard in lessons and want to make staff proud.

Pupils are interested in their topics. They enjoy talking about Antarctica, the Romans and forests. Children in Reception use their imagination in their play.

Their café game helps them to practise their n...umbers, make telephone calls and write lists.

At unstructured times, pupils play well together across year groups. At lunchtime, pupils wait politely for their meal, are well mannered and chat confidently with each other and visitors.

Pupils participate in activities both within and beyond the trust. The school's choir, including children from Reception, has performed at a local venue. Pupils have also seen success in sporting events such as cross-country competitions.

This builds their confidence and prepares them for the future.

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

The curriculum is typically well designed. Teachers are knowledgeable and deliver subject content well.

The curriculum in the early years is comprehensive, building on what pupils know and can do. Reception-age children learn and practise their numbers and letters. Pupils speak positively about their subjects.

The quality of their work reflects this in most subjects. However, some areas of the curriculum are still new, and this affects the extent to which pupils can use their knowledge and understanding over time. The school also recognises that opportunities for pupils to practise and extend their writing skills across all their subjects are not yet fully established.

This prevents them from always being able to make the progress of which they are capable.

Reading is a priority for the school. Pupils begin learning their sounds and letters very early on.

Younger children listen intently during their phonics sessions and quickly pick up what is expected. Older pupils typically read fluently and enjoy reading more challenging books. If pupils struggle with reading, they receive support through a number of intervention strategies that enable them to catch up with their peers.

Robust provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength of the school. The detailed process for identifying specific needs begins early on. Accurate and specific planning is undertaken for individual pupils and their progress against targets is reviewed frequently.

Where the advice and support of external agencies are required, this is sought quickly. Appropriate adaptations are made to lessons to support the needs of pupils.

Pupils respect one another.

They are polite to visitors and staff. Pupils unanimously state that difference does not matter. They treat each other equally.

Through the school's personal, social, health and economic education curriculum, pupils learn how to stay safe. As a result, they understand that they must keep their personal information secure online. Pupils also recognise that staying healthy is important.

Children in Reception can explain that they eat fruit and vegetables because 'they are good for us'. Pupils value the opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities such as football and a music club where children learn to perform as a group.

The school is a calm place.

Pupils, including those who have just started school, speak kindly to each other. They line up sensibly and can share toys or activities. There are clear routines for pupils which enable them to know what to expect in lessons and unstructured times.

The overwhelming majority of pupils attend school regularly, and persistent absence is rare. As a result, this allows them to benefit from the good quality of education provided by the school. Pupils trust staff to act on any concerns about bullying, though they feel safe and are clear that bullying is very rare.

Trust and school leaders accurately evaluate the school's strengths. They have a clear vision for the school and know what is needed to build on it. Staff speak positively about the school community, including the support from the headteacher and trust regarding well-being and workload.

Long-term opportunities for professional development are clearly signposted. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Opportunities for pupils to develop and improve their independent and extended writing across the curriculum are not yet well developed. As a result, pupils are not always able to apply their writing skills consistently, which limits their ability to express their ideas clearly and fully in different subjects. The school should ensure that planned opportunities are in place for pupils to write accurately, independently and at length in all subjects.

• In a small number of subjects, the implementation of the curriculum is not firmly established because the curriculum design is very new. As a result, pupils are not always able to recall or retrieve knowledge as well as they could. The school should review these curriculum areas in a timely and rigorous manner to ensure that pupils achieve well in all subjects.