Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have worked with steely determination to vastly improve the school in a short space of time. Leaders and staff are highly ambitious for pupils. This is a fully inclusive school where all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported to flourish and achieve well.

Pupils are happy, behave well and show excellent manners. They hold doors open for others and say please and thank you. Staff have established clear routines for behaviour that are consistently applied across the school.

Pupils say that they sometimes fall out with their friends but this does not happen very often. This was summed up by a pupil who sai...d, 'Everyone just gets along, no one is sad. No one is ever left out.'



Pupils are proud of their school and rightly so. They take on a variety of roles and responsibilities, for example bag monitors, play leaders and hall monitors. School councillors take an active role in making decisions about the school, such as the school menu design and the design of the playground.

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

New leadership has brought an expertise and understanding of curriculum design and implementation to the school. Staff now have a secure understanding of curriculum research and as a result, they are developing a well-designed and ambitious curriculum. While the core subjects of English, mathematics and science are carefully sequenced in a way that helps pupils to remember their learning, this is not the case in some other subjects.

However, leaders are rapidly bringing this change about. All subject leaders are being supported to become experts in their own subjects. However, there is some continued work to do to ensure that all subject leaders strengthen the curriculum.

Leaders have established a culture of reading across the school. Pupils are keen readers and talk fondly about their favourite books. This includes the youngest children, who were keen to talk about the different books they know and love.

Pupils learn to read quickly because the phonics curriculum is consistently delivered. All staff are well trained in the school's approach to phonics. As a result, any misconceptions or errors are identified and addressed quickly.

Pupils read books that closely match the sounds they know. If pupils struggle to learn new sounds, they are quickly identified and are given support to help them to keep up.

As soon as they start school, children in Nursery learn a range of nursery rhymes and stories.

This includes two-year-old children, who confidently join in with songs. The curriculum in the early years is carefully planned and sequenced to build on what children can already do. This means that children develop a secure understanding of the curriculum.

Pupils with SEND are well supported both academically and pastorally. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with teachers and parents to quickly identify needs and to put appropriate support in place

Through the school's ambitious music curriculum, pupils gain experience of playing a range of instruments. For example, pupils learn how to play a precursor to the cornet to learn the skills of lip and mouth placement, before moving on to play the actual cornet.

In addition to learning musical instruments, pupils are given a range of opportunities to develop their gifts and talents outside of the classroom. For example, they play in musical ensembles and concerts.

Pupils learn to become active citizens.

They raise money for a range of causes, including local charities. Pupils talk confidently about fundamental British values and how these are reflected in school life. For example, they talked about how they learned about democracy through voting for school councillors and about the rule of law through visits from the police.

Pupils are tolerant and respectful. They understand discrimination and learn about racism and different families. One pupil said, 'We don't see each other's differences, we see what's the same about one another.'



Pupils are confident about what constitutes a healthy relationship. They understand what good friendships are and what unhealthy friendships are. Pupils are confident about how to keep safe online.

The school is very well led and managed. The new headteacher has skilfully worked with all staff to ensure they understand any changes and developments. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive.

They are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The strong safeguarding culture across the school has been further embedded under the new leadership.

All staff understand the importance of recording and reporting concerns, no matter how small they are. Leaders act on any concerns in a timely manner.

All staff know pupils and the local context well.

This means they are vigilant for any signs that pupils may be at risk of harm or exploitation. Leaders work closely with external agencies such as housing and the police to ensure that families get the support they need.

Leaders make sure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, leaders' curriculum thinking is not as well refined or sufficiently embedded as it is in other subjects. This means that pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. Subject leaders should identify the precise component knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in some foundation subjects.

• While subject leaders are beginning to ensure that the curriculum is ambitious, the impact of recent changes have not yet been fully monitored. This means that leaders are not fully clear about the impact of their work on pupils' outcomes in their subjects. Subject leaders should monitor the impact of recent changes to check how well pupils learn the intended curriculum.

Also at this postcode