Cinnamon Brow CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Cinnamon Brow, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are happy and enjoy their time at the school. Children in the early years, including two-year-olds, settle quickly and learn successfully because of the knowledgeable, gentle support of staff.

Pupils relish learning and respond positively to the high expectations that leaders and staff have of them. Pupils achieve well, gaining valuable new knowledge in different subjects.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of planned, extra opportunities, such as choir and 'school parliament'.

They also learn many new skills, including archery, kayaking and how to work as a team..., such as when building a high tower with milk crates.

Most pupils at the school behave thoughtfully and sensibly in classrooms, corridors and when outdoors. As one pupil said to an inspector: 'We all have different opinions, and we are responsible for our own actions.'

When disagreements arise between pupils, staff carefully gather information about issues, then support individuals sensitively and effectively. Pupils said that they share their concerns with staff, which helps pupils to feel safe. They believe that leaders resolve bullying well.

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

Senior leaders know the school in detail. They are ambitious and make sure that staff have an accurate understanding of each curriculum subject. Leaders use up-to-date research, as well as the advice of experts from outside of the school, to help staff to improve their work.

They have appointed staff as subject leaders who are knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects. This enables subject leaders to skilfully support their colleagues. Teachers plan the school curriculum in a logical order.

They identify carefully what small chunks of information pupils need to know for each unit of work. They make sure that learning activities are meaningful and interesting. Even so, in different curriculum subjects, teachers do not make effective links between the curriculum delivered indoors and that taught outdoors.

Pupils achieve well because they know and remember the school's curriculum. For instance, they have built their knowledge and skills and become more musical, creative, scientific and mathematical. When some pupils, such as those with SEND, need the curriculum planned and taught in smaller steps, or to practise their previous learning, staff provide these pupils with intensive learning support.

This help enables pupils to understand important information and develop knowledge equally as well as other pupils.

Pupils read with confidence, fluency and expression. Leaders place high importance on staff teaching all pupils to read.

In Nursery, staff ensure that children become familiar with lots of stories, rhymes and poems. They teach children to speak clearly and to listen. Staff teach reading carefully from the beginning of the Reception Year.

In all classes, well-trained staff give less skilful readers the time they need to practise. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy reading the much-improved fiction and non-fiction books.

In each subject and year group, teachers plan carefully to develop pupils' speaking and listening skills.

Staff give much consideration to what new words to teach pupils, for instance focusing on the word 'big' in mathematics in Nursery, before teaching the meaning of 'bigger'. Even though pupils remember their learning, some older pupils find it hard to explain themselves as well as they should.

Mostly, pupils behave sensibly and demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

They also care about the way that they and their fellow pupils look after the school environment, for instance encouraging one another to pick up litter. Most pupils attend school when they should. Most of the time staff can teach the curriculum without being held back by low-level disruption.

Leaders support staff effectively to manage pupils' behaviour. Staff quickly spot when some pupils need help to manage their own feelings. They give much help to all pupils so that they feel settled and ready to learn.

Leaders are determined to give pupils a broad range of experiences beyond the usual curriculum subjects. They ensure that staff plan for many special events and celebration days, such as World Mental Health Day and Inclusion Week. Pupils learn about racism, for example by celebrating Black History Month.

They learn how Rosa Parkes and Martin Luther King were important figures in promoting equality. Leaders ensure that they develop pupils' awareness of different faiths and beliefs, including Judaism and the similarities and differences to Christianity. Throughout the school year, leaders make certain that pupils learn about respecting different people and communities, and that they understand values such as compassion and forgiveness.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Senior leaders make sure that all staff at the school are trained fully about safeguarding. Staff understand what might indicate that a child or pupil is at risk of harm and how they should act to safeguard pupils.

Leaders ensure that the process for staff at the school to share information with a trained safeguarding leader or to get advice about any concerns is straightforward. Leaders and staff record and share safeguarding information properly with other professionals. They ensure that pupils develop a broad knowledge about how to stay safe, including about the dangers of misusing social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some older pupils are less fluent when they speak about their learning. This issue risks holding back their understanding and their readiness for later learning.Leaders should make certain that all pupils develop the vocabulary and confidence to express their thoughts and opinions clearly.

• When teaching different curriculum subjects indoors, teachers do not help pupils to build fully on the knowledge they gain from their learning outdoors. This is likely to restrict pupils' subject knowledge. Leaders should make certain that staff connect together their planning for pupils' learning indoors with that for outdoors.

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