Carnagill Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Carnagill are kind, polite and happy members of the school community. A significant number of pupils join the school at times other than the normal admission date, including from countries, such as Nepal, Fiji and Cyprus, where families have served in the military.

Pupils embody the school's values, which include independence, curiosity and aspiration. Pupils of all ages welcome visitors warmly and talk of their love for the school. They appreciate the support that the school provides for them.

This includes pupils from military families and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The school has clear ambition and hig...h expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils generally achieve well across the curriculum.

Pupils behave positively throughout the school. At times, some pupils struggle with their emotions. The school deals with this sensitively.

Pupils are safe at Carnagill. They know that there are trusted adults they can go to with any worries and 'they'll talk you through it'. The school's work in regard to pupils' emotional well-being has notable impact.

There is a wide range of faiths and ethnicities within the school. Pupils demonstrate an exceptional understanding of equality. Pupils speak favourably of the welcome and acceptance they find at Carnagill.

Parents and carers are supportive of the school. They speak of pupils 'thriving', of them developing the 'best morals, respect and self-confidence' and teachers who 'really care about the children'.

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

Over time, leaders have transformed Carnagill.

The school's curriculum is ambitious across all subjects. The school swiftly and effectively identifies pupils' needs. The school is adept at supporting pupils who are new to the area or new to the country.

The checks leaders make on pupils' academic and personal development, on arrival, are precise and help to inform pupils' next steps, including support with early reading. This support gives pupils what they need to succeed and achieve. This includes pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language.

Children in early years get an exceptional start to their education. Highly skilled adults engage children in learning. Children swiftly develop their communication and language skills through well-considered activities.

Adults model adventurous vocabulary. Children then use this vocabulary in their play. For example, they talk about a 'ferocious' shark in a story.

Others say they are 'terrified' of snakes and spiders. Adults promote a love of books and reading. Children love to tuck themselves under a blanket in the reading area and share stories together.

Pupils in early years are exceptionally well prepared for future learning.

As pupils move into Years 1 and 2, well-trained adults ensure that pupils' emerging phonics knowledge is built on and developed further. Staff identify gaps in phonics knowledge quickly.

Pupils are given every opportunity to catch up if they fall behind. Older pupils become increasingly confident and fluent readers. They have very positive attitudes to reading, both in school and for their own pleasure.

In some areas, the school's published outcomes in 2024 were low. These outcomes do not fully reflect the quality of education the school provides for its pupils. The curriculum enables pupils to deepen their understanding across all subjects.

Pupils recall and use their prior knowledge well. In dance, for example, pupils build on their understanding to create routines that include unison and freeze frame tableaus. In mathematics, pupils use their prior knowledge effectively to tackle more challenging problem-solving questions.

They know that activities in physical education (PE) increase their heart rate. They link this knowledge well to their learning in science. In some subjects, curriculums have been reviewed and refined more recently.

These are not securely embedded in classroom practice at this point.

While pupils' attendance overall is positive, there is a small proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school. Leaders take effective action to improve the attendance of these pupils.

Pupils talk positively about behaviour in the school. A very small minority of pupils can be disrespectful to others or use inappropriate language at times. The school has effective systems in place to effectively deal with this.

The school's programme for pupils' wider development is comprehensive and effective. Pupils are tolerant and accepting of all. They develop a sense of spirituality, which is strengthened through a well-planned series of educational visits.

These include visits to different places of worship. Pupils make positive contributions within school and the wider community. Class representatives, for example, are very proud to show visitors around the school and talk about their love for the school.

Although pupils have a commendable understanding of morality and how to contribute positively to society, their understanding of fundamental British values is insecure at this point.

Governors and trustees are integral to the improvement journey at Carnagill. They are highly knowledgeable and well informed.

They carry out their monitoring duties with diligence and use information gathered from these activities to provide support and insightful challenge to the school. A team of motivated and positive staff have their workload and well-being prioritised by leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a very small number of subjects, aspects of the curriculum have been recently reviewed and continue to be developed further. Where this is the case, it sometimes affects the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning. The school should ensure that these aspects are embedded securely so that pupils remember their key learning in these subjects.

• Opportunities for pupils to understand fundamental British values are not as effective as they should be. This means that pupils' understanding of British values is not well developed. The school must ensure that the teaching of British values is effective, so that pupils develop a greater understanding of these values to better prepare them for life in modern Britain.