Clayton-le-Moors Mount Pleasant Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children settle quickly into school routines in the early years. They learn how to manage their own behaviour, needing minimal additional support from adults.

Children develop independence and resilience as a result.

Pupils are happy and safe in school. They move around the school sensibly, demonstrating high levels of courtesy towards adults.

Relationships are strong. Pupils play sociably with each other at breaktimes. They are attentive in class and participate in learning with enthusiasm.

This is especially true when pupils learn to play a musical instrument or perform in the school band.

Pupils are respectful towards others who may be di...fferent to them. Pupils regularly take part in activities in their local or wider community.

This helps pupils to broaden their own experiences or to support others who are in need.

Many pupils develop a wide range of knowledge as a result of the effective curriculum that leaders provide. Leaders expect all pupils to try their best.

Nevertheless, not all pupils achieve as well as they should. This is because leaders do not ensure that all pupils get the support that they need. This is particularly true for children and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders' expectations for what some pupils with SEND can and should achieve are low.

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

The curriculum is broad and captures pupils' interest. It meets the ambition of the national curriculum.

Leaders are clear about what they expect most pupils to learn. They provide effective guidance to teachers and other teaching staff to make sure that most children and pupils learn what they need in the right order. As a result of leaders' well-organised curriculum, children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 develop a rich body of knowledge.

Teachers check what pupils already know to help them to build on their previous learning across the curriculum. Most children and pupils benefit from the regular support of their teachers as they make progress in all aspects of the curriculum. This helps most children and pupils to make a smooth transition from one stage of their learning to the next.

Leaders do not provide enough guidance for teachers to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Added to this, there is variation in how clearly teachers understand what children and pupils with SEND need to learn next. Leaders do not make sure that teachers use effective strategies to support children and pupils with SEND well so that they can access the same curriculum as their classmates.

Leaders ensure that reading is a high priority within each class. Children enjoy sharing books, songs and rhymes in the Nursery Year. This enhances their development in other areas of learning.

Staff who deliver the school's phonics programme regularly are well trained. They follow the programme with fidelity. Children in the Reception Year begin to learn how to use phonics to read words.

Most children and pupils develop fluency in reading because the books that they read are focused on the sounds that they have learned. By the end of key stage 2, most pupils are confident readers. They enjoy reading and listening to a wide range of high-quality literature.

Some children, and pupils in key stage 1, with SEND are not taught phonics by their teachers as regularly as their classmates. These children and pupils are taken out of class to learn phonics. As a result, it is more difficult for teachers to know which sounds these children and pupils still need to learn.

In addition, some older pupils in key stage 2 with SEND continue to struggle with reading, even though they have additional support to catch up. This is because leaders have not ensured that teachers identify and address any gaps in these pupils' phonics knowledge.

Pupils' high standards of behaviour and positive attitudes to school enable learning to take place without disruption.

Most children and pupils attend school on most school days. However, leaders do not ensure that all pupils with SEND attend school regularly. This adds to the limitations on the progress that these pupils make through the curriculum.

Leaders ensure that pupils are supported well in their personal development. Pupils know how important rules are to keep everyone safe. They develop a secure understanding of how to make a positive contribution to their school and the local community.

Pupils understand the value of democracy. They are keen to make sure that everyone's views and beliefs are considered. These attributes prepare pupils well for living in a modern and diverse society.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. Subject leaders are developing confidence in leading their areas of responsibility.

Leaders and governors do not carry out their roles as effectively as they should.

For example, leaders and governors do not use information effectively to identify emerging strengths or weaknesses in the school. As a consequence, leaders do not address the most pressing issues consistently well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff know how to keep pupils safe. Staff know how to spot the signs that might indicate that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff are vigilant and pass on their concerns to leaders responsible for safeguarding quickly.

Leaders take action to provide support for vulnerable pupils when concerns are raised by staff or other agencies. However, leaders' systems to record safeguarding concerns are not used as effectively as they should be. Leaders do not identify emerging issues well.

For example, they do not notice developing patterns of pupils' lateness or absence.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders and governors do not make effective use of the information available to them about what is working well at the school and what is not. This limits their ability to make decisions about the school's current priorities.

For example, leaders do not identify when some vulnerable pupils' declining attendance could be an indicator of an emerging safeguarding risk. Leaders and governors must improve their ability to evaluate the information that they have at their disposal. ? Leaders do not provide clear enough guidance to teachers about the individual needs of pupils with SEND.

Some pupils with SEND struggle at school, especially with their reading. This hinders how well they access the curriculum and how well prepared they are for their next stages of education. Leaders and governors should ensure that teachers have sufficient information so that they can support pupils with SEND to achieve as well as they should.