Conway Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Conway Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly and stimulating place for pupils to learn. Pupils come to school enthusiastically.

Families and pupils feel that staff care about them and are attentive to their needs. They are proud to belong to the diverse school community. The curriculum includes plentiful opportunities for pupils to learn about the different views and experiences of others.

Pupils behave well. Staff expect pupils to take responsibility for their behaviour. For example, school council members help to organise the sports played in the multi-use games area.

Pupils are taught to recognis...e their emotions as part of leaders' focus on developing 'emotional intelligence'. Leaders want pupils to be ready to overcome challenges and work alongside each other in a supportive manner.

Pupils have been taught about bullying.

They know what to do if they feel unsafe. On the rare occasions that problems happen, staff deal with them quickly. Pupils are confident that they can talk to staff if they have any worries.

Pupils speak excitedly about their learning. They clearly enjoy studying a broad curriculum. Leaders ensure that staff have the expertise to develop pupils' knowledge effectively, including in subjects such as Mandarin and physical education.

Leaders have high expectations for all, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils progress well through the planned curriculum as they move from Nursery to Year 6.

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

Leaders and teachers have organised an ambitious, well-structured and coherent curriculum from the early years up.

They have thought about what knowledge needs to be taught, practised and revisited. Leaders and staff focus on making sure that pupils grasp key concepts and ideas securely. In Nursery and Reception, for example, staff make sure that children learn the key knowledge and skills they need to be well prepared for Year 1.

All areas of learning are carefully considered and supported, including children's personal, social and emotional development. Children quickly learn the routines of the school. Staff explain their expectations clearly and help children to focus on their learning.

Throughout the school, pupils achieve well and produce high-quality work.

Teachers regularly check what pupils have understood, including the subject content that has been taught in previous years. Staff help pupils to practise and apply their understanding.

In most subjects, pupils are given purposeful work and resources which enable them to get better at recalling knowledge fluently. For example, pupils regularly practise the key facts and methods that they have learned in earlier mathematics lessons. This means that they approach solving mathematical problems and learning new, more advanced concepts with confidence.

In a few subjects, pupils are sometimes given work that does not match leaders' curriculum aims. For example, some activities overly focus on how pupils write about and present their ideas, rather than developing and extending pupils' understanding. Some subject leaders are new to their roles and are still getting to know their subjects.

They have only recently started to check how well the curriculum is being delivered and provide teachers with support and guidance. The headteacher and senior leaders are supporting these new subject leaders to develop their expertise and carry out their roles.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to read fluently.

Children begin learning to read from the start of their time in school. Teachers make the most of opportunities to enthuse children about reading. They familiarise children with lots of stories and books.

Adults are typically skilled in helping pupils learn to read. They teach the ambitious phonics programme well. Pupils practise their reading regularly with books that match the sounds that they have been taught.

Any pupils who have gaps in their understanding are given extra support to ensure that they catch up quickly. However, in a few instances, adults' pronunciation of the sounds that letters make is not as precise as it should be.

Leaders have carefully considered the wider curriculum, including the provision of extra-curricular activities.

Leaders aim to help pupils to explore different interests, for example through lessons in the clarinet, violin and recorder. In personal, social, health and economic education, pupils are taught about the wider society they live in. They learn about the rule of law and what it means to be a responsible citizen.

Pupils also learn about healthy relationships and how it is important to respect other people's faiths and opinions.

Leaders and staff work closely together to identify pupils with SEND. They make sure that these pupils are able to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.

Teachers have detailed information about pupils' needs and adapt learning effectively for them.

Staff and leaders work well together. Staff feel supported by leaders.

They value the guidance and professional development that leaders provide, and how it helps to improve their practice. The governing body knows the school well. Leaders keep governors well informed, for example the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Governors ensure that they speak with subject leaders, staff and pupils to check for themselves how well pupils are doing. In making decisions, governors are mindful of staff's workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and governors make sure that safeguarding is a high priority. The relevant checks are carried out on adults to ensure that they are suitable to work at the school. Staff know pupils and their families very well.

They are vigilant, and they know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil's welfare or safety.

Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training, including on e-safety and extremism. Staff with responsibility for safeguarding work with external professionals to make sure that pupils get the help they need promptly.

Leaders monitor attendance closely to ensure that they know where pupils are and that they are safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders are new to their roles and have only recently begun to check how well key knowledge and skills are being taught. In some instances, the implementation of the curriculum is not as focused as it could be on developing and extending pupils' knowledge.

Leaders should continue to ensure that these subject leaders develop their evaluation of the curriculum. They should help subject leaders to improve their support and guidance to teachers and, in turn, ensure that the curriculum is delivered in line with the school's expectations. ? On occasions, a few adults do not pronounce sounds precisely when teaching phonics.

This is unhelpful for pupils who are learning to read. Leaders should continue to check and strengthen staff's expertise in pronouncing all sounds accurately and ensure that pupils hear accurate sounds modelled consistently.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2013.