Claybrooke Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

In this small school, staff care for pupils and want the very best for them.

Pupils are seen as individuals and are given extra support when they need it. The school is at the centre of the community. Leaders and staff 'go the extra mile' to engage families in their child's education.

Since the last inspection, the school has undergone changes, including changes in leadership. Important areas for improvement have been identified and action has been swiftly taken to address them. Parents comment on the improvements made by the school.

Pupils feel safe. They know whom they can talk to if they have any worries. All staff take responsibility for looking after the... children in their care.

Children learn how to keep themselves safe, including online.

Pupils enjoy coming to school and want to do their best. They work hard and talk confidently about their learning.

They appreciate the many opportunities that the school gives them. This includes a wide range of after-school clubs and activities, particularly sports. Pupils say that they are well supported for the move to secondary school.

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

The curriculum sets out the important knowledge that pupils will learn in each subject. It is ambitious and well designed to meet the needs of pupils in the school. As a result, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well.

In most subjects, this curriculum has been put in place relatively recently. The school has not yet been able to evaluate the extent to which pupils in all subjects recall their learning over time.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive well-targeted support.

Teachers adapt their lessons so that all pupils can participate. All pupils study the full curriculum and build their knowledge in most subjects.

Teachers have good subject knowledge.

They share important knowledge clearly. Pupils learn vocabulary and key skills in every lesson. Teachers model to pupils how to think about the subjects they study.

Pupils develop the knowledge and skills, including in mathematics and reading, to prepare them for their next steps. In most subjects, pupils remember what they have learned in previous topics.

Teachers regularly check that pupils have remembered important knowledge.

They identify misconceptions and help pupils address them. For example, pupils take part in regular quizzes in relation to each geography topic. This helps teachers to gauge understanding.

On occasion, teachers move learning on before pupils are ready. This makes it difficult for pupils to develop detailed knowledge in all the subjects they study.The school's approach to early reading ensures children quickly become accurate readers.

Staff are well trained. Pupils enjoy reading and talk confidently about their book choices.

Teaching pupils how to behave is a priority.

The school has worked with external experts and introduced new procedures. Behaviour has improved. Disruption is rare and dealt with well.

Pupils develop good relationships with their peers and with teachers. Bullying, when it occurs, is dealt with appropriately. Pupils are confident that bullying will be taken seriously.

Some pupils have a disrupted pattern of attendance. This can affect their ability to develop their knowledge. However, staff take steps to help these pupils catch up with essential learning when they return to school.

Pupils' attendance dipped during the pandemic and remains below national averages. Leaders track attendance closely. They work with groups in the community to encourage good attendance, and have had some notable successes.

The personal development curriculum lies at the centre of the school's work. It is delivered in an age-appropriate manner. Pupils know the importance of fundamental British values.

They have a positive attitude to those who are different. These attitudes contribute to the harmonious ethos of the school. Older pupils develop leadership skills, for example as play leaders or school council members.

Children in the early years learn in a supportive, caring environment. The curriculum is adapted to ensure all children learn what they need to be ready for Year 1. Staff plan in detail what children need to learn.

They provide many activities to capture children's imagination and curiosity. Children learn how to behave. They develop positive relationships with adults.

Early reading is prioritised.

The school is well supported by the trust to ensure pupils have a positive experience of school. Teachers receive good-quality training which helps them to improve their teaching.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, teachers do not use strategies that help pupils to consolidate what they have learned. The school should ensure that teachers employ strategies that consistently support pupils to remember what they have learned.

Although it is improving, pupils' attendance remains below the levels seen before the pandemic. As a result, some pupils are not accessing the good quality of education that the school provides as regularly as they could. The school should work closely with parents and the local community to improve rates of attendance for all groups of pupils.