Castleton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are highly valued at this school. Their well-being lies at the heart of the work that the school carries out. Pupils are taught about their rights.

These rights are promoted and respected throughout school. Pupils know that their voice is heard and that adults will help them with any concerns that they might have.

Pupils speak to each other kindly and respectfully.

Children in the early years proactively welcome visitors to their classroom. They are keen to introduce themselves and their friends. Pupils are confident and happy.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. However, these are not consistently realised, particularly ...in those subjects which have published results. The curriculum in the early years is not developed sufficiently well to ensure that children gain the knowledge that they need to be ready for Year 1 and beyond.

While the curriculum for Year 1 to Year 6 has been carefully designed, pupils do not learn it in depth and therefore do not build a robust body of knowledge over time.

Pupils benefit from the wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer. Some pupils are offered a golden ticket to encourage them to join a specific activity, such as 'lunchtime mindfulness'.

The school has carefully considered its programme to help pupils prepare for life in modern Britain. This includes participating in a wide range of recognition days, such as the International Day of Disabled Persons and learning about various cultural and religious celebrations, such as Diwali.

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6.

In most subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn and when this will be taught. However, in some subjects, there is too much content for pupils to learn. This results in pupils not having sufficient time or opportunity to deepen their learning.

Therefore, they are unable to remember or apply their learning when they are introduced to new concepts.

Mostly, pupils benefit from carefully considered opportunities to revisit their prior learning. This helps them understand new learning.

However, on occasion, the activities that teachers design do not help pupils learn the key information that has been set out. This leads to fragmented learning. It means that, in some subjects, pupils' knowledge is not secure.

Teachers carry out checks to see how well pupils have learned the curriculum. They use this information to identify where pupils have not grasped key information. This informs future teaching and helps to tackle misconceptions.

The school has a keen focus on ensuring that children learn the phonics code quickly and accurately. Those who attend the Nursery class learn to recognise different sounds, such as rhyming words. Children in the Reception Year start to learn letter sounds.

Pupils' learning continues into Year 1, where they learn more complex letter combinations and words. Pupils enjoy early success by reading books that contain the sounds that they know. Any pupils who do not keep up with the intended pace of the programme are helped to catch up.

Pupils gain the reading knowledge that they need to access other subject curriculums successfully.

Throughout the school, pupils enjoy reading. They understand the value of being a keen reader and they benefit from the wide range of different texts that the school provides for them.

While children gain strong foundations in learning to read, this is not replicated in many other areas of learning in the early years. This is because the school has not set out what children should learn. As a result, children's learning is largely based on the completion of isolated activities that do not help them to deepen their knowledge over time.

This hinders their readiness for Year 1.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. Where appropriate, the school sources external support to meet pupils' needs and to learn good practice from professionals.

Staff and pupils make sure that members of the school community feel included, regardless of any differences that people may have. This is the lived experience around school. Pupils with SEND are fully integrated into the life of the school.

The school makes sensible decisions to ensure that learning experiences are appropriate for pupils' needs.

Many pupils take up the opportunity to hold a responsibility or position of leadership. Mental health ambassadors, school councillors and advocates for pupils' rights represent the pupil voice across the school.

Pupils appreciate that their opinions are sought and listened to. The school understands and promotes the importance of physical and mental wellness. Pupils learn about relevant issues to enhance their well-being and safety, such as positive body image workshops, online safety and information on the negative effects of vaping.

Pupils enjoy coming to school and most do so every day. However, the school has identified that there are still some pupils who do not attend school regularly enough. The school analyses the reasons for these absences carefully and has put robust measures in place to support families and pupils.

Around school, pupils are polite and considerate. For example, pupils hold doors open for visitors and are proud to show them around their school. Children in the early years listen carefully to the teachers' instructions.

They play cooperatively with each other.

Through discussions with staff, the school makes sure that any changes do not have a negative impact on workload. The well-being team regularly consults with staff to ensure that their perspective is considered.

Many governors have the appropriate knowledge and expertise to carry out their roles effectively. This is helping them to hold the school to account. They have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas to develop, particularly in relation to the curriculum.

Parents and carers are extremely positive about the school. They said that they appreciate the support that they receive from the staff. Parents said that the school supports and cares for their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, there is too much content for pupils to know and remember. This means that they learn some information at surface level only and do not fully understand key concepts in some curriculums.

This prevents some pupils from building a rich body of knowledge over time. The school should refine the key knowledge that they want pupils to gain so that pupils have a secure foundation on which to build when they meet new concepts. ? In some subjects, the school has not considered effectively enough how pupils will learn the curriculum that has been set out.

At times, the activities that teachers deliver do not help pupils learn the knowledge that the school has identified. This results in pupils' learning being fragmented and many do not understand key concepts. The school should make sure that lesson activities support pupils in building a secure body of knowledge across the curriculum.

• The school has not clearly identified the key knowledge that children will learn through the early years curriculum. As result, children do not gain all of the knowledge that they need to be prepared for their learning in Year 1 and beyond. The school should ensure that the content of the early years curriculum is clearly defined, understood and delivered effectively.

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