By Brook Valley CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where pupils are kind to each other.

Older pupils look after younger pupils and support them to enjoy school. They help them to listen to stories in school assemblies and worship. They run lunchtime clubs to help make playtimes fun.

Staff build strong relationships with pupils, and this helps to make them to feel safe. Pupils trust staff in school to help them with any concerns they have. When pupils need help, the school provides a range of support that helps them to share their feelings and manage their emotions.

Pupils are friendly and polite. They understand the school rules to 'be ready, be respectful, be responsible'. They enjoy s...chool and most pupils follow these rules without a reminder.

From the start of the Reception Year, children behave well.

The school has high expectations of pupils. The curriculum supports the school's mission to give pupils 'roots to grow, wings to fly'.

Pupils can recall much of their knowledge, and they use this to build their understanding. Most pupils achieve well and are ready for their next stage of leaning.

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

Reading is a priority at this school.

Pupils read a wide range of texts. These support pupils to build their curriculum knowledge and understand the lives and experiences of people around the world. The school delivers the phonics curriculum well.

Children in the Reception Year build their knowledge of letters and sounds. In Year 1, pupils build on this knowledge to find words that sound the same but have different spellings. The books that pupils read match the sounds they know.

Pupils read often to staff, who encourage them to persevere with their reading. Staff support pupils well to build their reading skills. This means those pupils who are at risk of falling behind get effective help to build their reading fluency and confidence.

Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed the curriculum. It is clear and logically ordered. It maps out the knowledge that pupils will secure as they move through the school.

The curriculum is designed to support children from the start of the Reception Year to build their understanding of the local area around the school. The curriculum then supports pupils to understand the wider world.

Teachers present information clearly and they support pupils to share their ideas.

Most of the time, they check pupils' knowledge carefully. Staff act to resolve any gaps or misconceptions. As a result, pupils often remember key information and build their understanding successfully.

However, sometimes the checks that teachers make do not give them enough information about what pupils know and can do. This means that, on occasion, teachers do not give pupils the help that they need.

The school has an accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers adapt learning to help pupils with SEND learn the curriculum alongside their peers. This helps them to secure their curriculum knowledge. However, staff do not clearly identify the specific support that pupils need to be successful against their individual barriers.

As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could against their individual needs.

Most pupils respond well in class discussions. This helps them to build their understanding.

Staff remind pupils to listen and follow routines and most pupils remain focused. Staff praise their good work, and pupils respond positively to this. Pupils move around corridors in a calm and orderly manner.

Through the wider curriculum, pupils build their knowledge of world faiths and cultures. They build their understanding of the lives of others by learning about world events. Pupils discuss environmental issues and how they impact people and their communities.

They raise awareness and money for national charities.

Pupils contribute to their local community. They donate items to their local food bank.

Pupils visit the local pre-school where they read stories to children. This helps children in the Reception Year to settle in well when they join the school.

Pupils are proud of the many leadership roles they have.

They enjoy making a difference to their school by raising money for new books.

Governors have an accurate understanding of the school. They check the effectiveness of the school's work.

The trust is mindful of staff's workload and ensures that staff have the time that they need to carry out their leadership responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Targets for some pupils with SEND are not precise.

They do not detail clearly enough how pupils' individual needs will be supported. This means that some pupils' needs are not fully met. The trust should ensure staff set targets that support pupils to achieve well against their individual needs.

• On some occasions, assessment strategies do not provide teachers with enough information about the progress that pupils are making. As a result, some pupils do not secure their knowledge or have enough opportunities to extend their learning. The trust should make sure staff use assessment strategies effectively and adjust the curriculum so that it fully meets the needs of all pupils.